Star Wars: Reimagined
by Eschmuckal
Summary: What if Luke, Leia, and Han weren't adults when they met? What if they came together, completely by chance, in the middle of their teen years? What then? Well, let's find out... (Better summery inside)
1. Prologe(kind of)

**A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...**

No, wait! Don't leave! This isn't your average Star Wars Fanfic! Or maybe it is! Oh boy...

But still, hang on a sec. You don't even know what this story's about yet, because of my awful summery. So please, make yourself comfortable. Let me explain, the way I planned to explain.

So. Remember when I wrote a _long time ago,_ up there at the top of the page? Well, when I wrote, _a long time ago,_ I wasn't over-exaggerating. This is before all the Star Wars heroes you know and love grew up and became princesses, or mechanics, or out-laws, or whatever. When our story begins, Luke, Leia, and Han were just teenagers. But that's not all. You guys ready for the complicated part?

Alright, here we go: All these characters are in a different dimension.

Hello? You still with me? Okay good. Basically, what this little turn of events means, is that this is not what really happened. Say the three _didn't_ meet when they were young adults. Say instead, that they met on Alderaan, where a very bored Princess Leia was looking for adventure. Say there was a kidnapping gone wrong, an exchange student, and a father trying to track down his kids.

You get me? Good. Then here we go!


	2. Leia

All was still at the palace, in the early morning of Alderaan. It's inhabitants, mostly servants, were already up and about their business. The head cook was yelling at one of the bakers, because the baker had burned the muffins _again._ The night guard was changing places with the day guard, and both groups were exchanging stories. And the gardener was preparing to continue his war on those blasted weeds.

And Princess Leia Organa was sleeping through her alarm clock. Again.

The clock beeped on, but it's owner took no notice. Currently, she was in the middle of a dream where she gunned down her father's advisors in a bright pink hover-craft. At the moment, the hover-craft was starting to malfunction. It began to sway back and forth, making a really annoying beeping noise. Leia clamped her hands over her ears, but that only made it worse.

Her eyes popped open, as she was jolted back into the real world. For a moment, she lay there, trying to shake off the daze that always seemed to come after she had woken up.

Then suddenly, she remembered.

Sitting bolt upright, Leia flung off her covers. She swung out of bed, brown hair flying, and darted for her wardrobe. Not again Not _again._ Oh man, her father was going to _kill_ her!

She changed in a hurry, dressing in the simplest outfit she could manage, without seeming out of place. There wasn't time to call her maids, and she didn't really want to wear something fancy anyways. As she raced out the door, she glanced at the clock.

The blue letters projected on her bedside tabled read: _9:17._

* * *

"Calm down, honey. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Across the room, King Bail Organa barely acknowledged his wife's words. He paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back. He checked the clock: _9:17._ Leia was 3 minutes late. To her own meeting. _Stars,_ why could she be on time?

He turned back to the men and women sitting around the table, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry for the wait." He forced a chuckle. "Teenagers. You know how they are." A few of the people cracked smiles, and one even laughed, but most were silent. Bail couldn't really blame them. He checked the clock again. If Leia didn't get here in two minutes, he'd have to start without her.

 _Come_ on, _Leia. Come on..._

* * *

A few yards away, the object of his annoyance stood in a cramped elevator, sandwiched between a Tintinna and a man in a business suit. Around her, many different humans and aliens stood around, all squeezed into the tiny elevator. Leia shifted, trying to get closer to the doors. Just her luck to be caught in rush-hour traffic. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her heart pounded.

The elevator speakers played _French Suite #2 in C-._

With a soft ding, the elevator doors slide smoothly open. Leia, seeing her chance, burst forward. Ignoring the annoyed yells of those behind her, she stumbled out into the hall-way, and tore down the passage. Skidding around a corner, she narrowly missed colliding with a Bimm carrying a tray of breakable objects. The Bimm chattered angrily, but Leia ignored it. She was almost there. Just a bit farther...

* * *

With a sigh, Bail turned from the door. That was it. 9:19. The limit to how late his daughter could be. He smiled as warmly as he could at the people behind him. "Well then, I think we've waited long enough. If everyone's comfortable, we'll start the-."

Behind him, the door slid open, and Princess Leia practically hurled herself through it. She skidded to a halt, panting, and shook her hair out of her brown eyes. "Dad, wait! I'm here!" She stopped, noticing the others. "Oh. Uh, sorry."

Her father sighed, and gestured toward an open seat, next to his wife, Queen Breha. "Sit down, Leia." He waited until his daughter had seated herself, and then continued. "As I was saying, we'll start with reminding everyone why we're here - to plan my daughter's 16th birthday."

At the mention of her birthday, Leia sat up eagerly. This was the first time she'd been invited to her birthday meeting, because she figured she was old enough to know. And anyways, it was her _16th birthday_! In just two weeks! Even her parents, who were very paranoid people, had to do something fun with this! It had to be different this year.

"As you all know, turning 16 is a big thing on Alderaan. Everyone will know about it." Bail had resumed pacing. "So of course, we must make sure that, above all other things..." Leia leaned forward eagerly. Here it comes!

"...that we have extra security this year. More then any other year."

Oh. _Security._ Leia slumped back down again. Of course. That was all her parents cared about. Her safety. Honestly, just for once, she wanted her birthday - or any other celebration, actually - to be free of legions of guards. But no. Apparently, that was only going to get worse.

 _Stars._ Leia gaze down at her lap, suddenly wishing she was still back in bed. Her dreams, at least, were interesting. Unlike her life. The way things seemed to be heading, it seemed she would get no excitement until she was 20.

But Leia had no idea the way things were heading...


	3. Han

_"Calling all units! Get in the air, now! We have a Code 14!"_

Far above Alderaan, a group of sleek, state-of-the-art space ships streaked across the sky. Their engines thrummed powerfully, and they cut effortlessly through the air. Or whatever fills space. These ships were fast and dangerous, with the most high-tech weapons available. These were not the kind of ships you wanted on your tail.

But unfortunately for Han Solo, that was exactly what was happening.

His hands clenched the wheel of his smaller, older space-craft. He was in trouble, and he knew it. Those ships behind him were about three times bigger, and about five times heavier. And unlike him, they had just gotten started. Han had been driving this ship without stopping for at least a day. And he'd already run into trouble with some bounty hunters.

In short, he was dead.

But Han was not the kind of person who let a little thing like death stop him. Or impossibility, for that matter. And anyways, the _Millennium Falcon_ was still faster then most ships Han had piloted in his short life-time. At least, she usually was. There was still a chance that she could out-run her pursuers, even if it was a really slim one.

A bolt of light whizzed passed the left window. Han cursed, and twisted around. Leaning over the back of his seat, he yelled, "Chewie! I could use a little more power!"

The answering growl from the next room conformed the worst - no matter what Chewbacca did to the engines, they weren't going to go any faster. Han glanced out the window closest to him, and cursed again. The ships were closing in fast. They were near enough to make out the writing on their sides, and the shiny crest of Alderaan emblazoned on their wings.

Beside him, Han's ship-board radio crackled to life. Across the line, a commander began to spout the same trash that any commander told an intruder. Han let her speak about a few words, before he turned the radio off. There was only one thing that he could afford to do now, and it wasn't talking to some police-woman. His brown eyes fixed on the blue-green planet below him, he hollered, "Chewie! Leave the engines alone, and come here!"

A few seconds later, Chewbacca lumbered into the pilot room. Han took one hand off the wheel to point to the chair beside him, then hastily grabbed it again when another bolt of light shot past. His friend sat down, infuriatingly calm. "What's the plan, Solo? Surrender?" *****

Han shook his head angrily. "Of course not, fuzz-brain. We're doing a shoot-off."

"We are?"

"Well, I am." Han began to flip switches on the control panel. The _Millennium Falcon's_ engines screamed in protest, as they tried to cope with the sudden drop in power. "Don't worry, you big sissy. You don't need to come out."

Chewbacca sighed, ignoring the insults. "You do realize, idiot, that they have much better guns then you do? And a lot more people? You step out there with a raised blaster, and you'll get blown to bits."

Han dragged his eyes away from the screen long enough to give the Wookiee a winning smile. "Hey, I'm 16. I've still got the whole corrupted-child thing going for me. Any anyways, Alderaanians are all about justice. They won't shoot me if they think they can get away with a trial." He tilted the wheel forward, and the ship's nose dropped suddenly. "Now stop worrying, and help me."

His friend rolled his eyes, obviously not finished, but he stopped arguing. His furry brown fingers moved over the control panel, controlling the sharp descent Han had started.

The _Millennium Falcon_ shot toward the ground, followed by her pursuers. Han noticed that the engines had started to make a very disconcerting clanking noise, but he didn't have time to think about that right now. Shoving the controls toward Chewbacca, he stood up. "Take the wheel. I'm leaving." And, ignoring his friend's annoyed snarls, he did just that.

 ***Author's note: In case you were wondering, Chewbacca isn't actually speaking English. It's just that Han can understand him, and this is Han's point of view, so I figured that I can write it this way.**

* * *

Outside, the ships continued to fall. Just when it seemed that they would crash, the one in front shot up, leveling out. One of the ships following behind wavered unsteadily, and veered off to one side. But the others transitioned quite smoothly, with barely a strain from their engines.

The _Falcon,_ however, wasn't doing that well. It had lost some of it's speed, and was sputtering and coughing. It weaved back and forth, getting ever closer to the ground. Finally, it half-fell toward the earth, its landing gear coming out. It skidded along, as if it might tip over, but then careened to a stop. It sat in the middle of a field, wheezing and heaving, looking utterly bedraggled.

The other ships landed around it, smooth and dignified. Their cock-pit doors slid open, and several armed members of the Alderaanian guard leaped out. They surrounded the ship, tense and alert. Their officer raise a mega-phone to her lips, ordering the pilot to "come out with your hands up!"

A hiss sounded, and the seal around the ship's door broke. With an ear-piercing grinding noise, the gang-plank began to lower. It took the guards poised around the ship a few seconds to register that there was someone standing on the lowering piece of metal, apparently not affected by the fact that it was partly vertical. It took them another moment to register the blaster in that someone's hands.

But by then, Han had already opened fire.

He took them by surprise. By the time they had reached their guns, he was already off the gang-plank, and racing toward one of the army ships. If he could get in there, he could use it to drive the others away. Possibly wreck some property while he was at it. He just had to-

His thoughts came to an abrupt end as he bolted into the open door of one of the ships and came face to face with it's pilot. He only had time to think _Oh space, why didn't I think of that?_ before the pilot brought the end of his blaster down on Han's head.

Han stumbled backward, almost colliding with the guards coming up behind him. In an instant, they had grabbed him, knocking the blaster from his hands. Han struggled, but it was no use. In the end, he was dragged, hand-cuffed and defeated, before the commander. Even so, he managed a smile. "Morning, Ma'am? How's the shift going?"

The commander eyed him narrowly, before turning away. Raising her voice, she called, "Riker! Hoffman! Take the prisoner away, and make sure nobody's hurt. The rest of you, search the ship."

 _Chewbacca!_ Han's eyes widened, and he lunged forward. He acctually made it a few meters, before he was pulled back. Undeturred, he yelled, "Chewie! Up ship! Up ship! Get out of here! Don't worry about me!"

Somehow, impossibly, the Wookie heard him. Or maybe he just notice the advancing guards. Either way, the _Millennium Falcon_ roared to life, it's engines dragging on their last specks of energy. Gang-plank not fully lifted, it left the ground, pulling away into space. Before the guards could get to their ships, it was already half-gone. Watching it dwindle away, Han felt an irrational sense of pride. _That's my girl. That's my ship._

Someone struck him in the face, and he stumbled. It was the commander, her hand raised in a short burst of anger. He grinned at her, and she whirled away, furious. Han could hear her bellowing orders, as his captors dragged him away.

Later, bumping along in the back of an army shuttle, he fought down rising panic. How was he going to get out of this one? If Chewie was smart, he would stay away from Alderaan, so Han was on his own. He had no idea how Alderaans treated their prisoners. He only hoped they would be reasonable.

And anyways, he'd find a way to escape. He was Han Solo, wasn't he? Yes, he'd escape. He'd only have to wait.


	4. Weird Trivia 1

**Note: In case anyone wanted to know, here is everybody's age.**

 **Han: 16**

 **Leia/Luke: almost 16**

 **Chewbacca: Uhh... Teenage in Wookie years, although I don't know how that stacks up to human years.**

 **Anyone else, you'll have to find out by yourself! I will update soon, I promise. I'm kind of busy at the moment, but expect something by Friday, at the latest.**

 **Thanks!**


	5. Trials

When Leia had imagined how she would spend her weekend, she had imagined something fun. She had thoughts of meeting up with friends, going out to hover-board race, or at least a good book.

She had not imagined spending her time in a courtroom. Somehow, this dismal possibility had never crossed her mind.

And yet, here she was. Dressed in her formal clothes, sitting stiffly beside her mom and dad, and wishing this whole thing was already over. Honestly, the _one_ day that she had scads of free time, and the universe choose to hurl an emergency trial her way. The _one day_ that her parents were allowing her out of the palace, and some idiot decided to set off an intruder alert. The _one day_ that-

Leia jumped, as a huge gong sounded. A stuffy-looking man in a red suit stood at the doors to the courtroom, reading off an ancient-looking piece of paper. That meant the trial was starting. Leia had sat in on a thousand trials, (999 too many), so she knew how this was going to go. This little man, the court announcer, would "call the convicted out of his hole and into the bright light of justice." Or, in other words, get the guards to actually bring the convicted into the room.

Yep. There was the sentence, with the customary flourish. Trials on Alderaan were fancy affairs. It was considered a thing to be proud of, something that the other planets respected. Privately, Leia was sure that the other planets were laughing their heads off, but she hadn't told anyone this.

Her attention returned to the courtroom enterance, just as the doors swung open. A clump of guards scuttled into the room, to the sound of trumpets. Leia crained her neck forward, knowing that the convicted was enveloped somewhere in their midst. She ignored her mom's warning tap on her arm, wondering instead what kind of person this convict was, to have so many gua-

She stopped thinking for a moment, as she finally coughed a glimpse of the convict's face.

He had messy brown hair, with dark brown eyes. His skin was light, but slightly tanned, a sign that he was no stranger to the sun. His form was wiry but strong - as far as she could tell, anyways, from the rumpled clothing. He appeared at ease, but Leia noticed how his eyes kept darting back and forth, taking in every thing. She knew his face instantly, had seen it on several wanted posers, actually.

Han Solo, smuggler and part-time bounty hunter. Or, as her father put it, "a real pain in the rear."

She watched, fascinated, as he sat down, his fingers tapping nervously on the table in front of him. He leaned back in his seat, as if it was a lounge chair. His eyes swept the room, snagging on some people. Leia glanced down at her hands. She didn't want him to catch her staring, and get the wrong idea.

The trial continued. King Bail read the list of accusations from a similar-looking ancient piece of paper. Han made no comment, until the last charge was read, pronouncing him a "hit-man"

"Excuse me, but what was that last one?"

All eyes turned to the accused, suddenly curious. Leia was sure she saw some old ladies in the back wake up with a start Apparently, she wasn't the only one who found these trials boring.

King Bail said, with a trace of ice in his voice, "I said, 'hit-man'"

"Oh." Han was quiet for a second. Then: "I am _not_ a hit-man."

Leia's father rolled his eyes, then continued reading his list. Han made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat, but sat back. He made no more objection through out the rest of the trial, and didn't seem to care whether he was proven innocent or not. In fact, he sometimes appeared to be trying to prove that the accusations were _correct_ , instead of the opposite. He treated the whole thing like he was on some sort of talk-show, cracking jokes and telling long stories that were most certainty not true.

Leia wasn't sure what he was trying to accomplish. But at the end of the trial, the jury was befuddled. They spent so much time deciding, that the audience got impatient. Leia noticed the old ladies in the back get to their feet, and sneak out of the court. A smile pulled at her lips, and she was just considering doing the same, when the jury came back.

They looked tired, and they sounded like it too. Wearily, they pronounced the accused guilty, However, they had not been able to come up with a punishment. They would get back to it, they promised, and dismissed the court.

Leia got happily to her feet, checking her watch. It was late, but maybe she could still call her friends. Not waiting for her parents, she slid out of the bench, and headed up the aisle, shoving her way through the crowd gathering at the doors.

As she past through, she caught another glimpse of Han. He was still sitting at the table. Sometime in the trial - Leia forgot when - one of the witnesses had forced him to sit up. Now he sat with his head bowed, his shoulders hunched and his hands folded in front of him. His eyes were closed, and he seemed different some how. Leia wondered, suddenly, if he'd really been as confident as he'd seemed.

Suddenly he looked up, sensing someone was watching him. He turned his head, his brown eyes meeting hers. For just a second, she glimpsed something inside them receding, going back into hiding.

Then he winked at her, a smile cracking his face.

She drew back, suddenly furious, and gave him a glare so strong, he was compelled to look elsewhere. She watched as the guards, sensing what had happened, dragged Han to his feet, and hauled him away. He would wait in the prison, until the jury could come up with a punishment.

Good. That was just what he deserved. Little brat! Thought he was so cool and smart. Well, that wouldn't stand up to Alderaan courts. Leia felt a sudden rush of pride for her planet, one that wouldn't stop until justice was achieved. Leia turned, and continued shoving her way through the crowd, perhaps a little more viciously then she had been.

She would probably never see Han Solo again. And that was just the way she liked it.


	6. Meeting

Han was no stranger to royalty. He had met many of them over the years, most not on good terms, and he had managed to put them into several categories.

First, just to name a few, there were the ones that were just plain air-heads. They could barely make any decisions, and eventually ended up being disowned. Second, there were the nice ones. While not necessarily dumb, they were usually easy to talk to, and were beloved by whatever they ruled over. And third, there was the dangerous kind, the kind that appeared to be nice and/or docile, but could really kick your butt if given the chance.

And Princess Leia of Alderaan seemed to be one of those people.

It wasn't hard to tell. Han only had to look at the way that she was glaring at him through the bars, the lighting in her eyes. She didn't want to be here. And she wanted him to know it.

He smiled nervously. "Hi."

She gave him one last glare, then unrolled the scroll of paper that she was holding in one hand. She didn't actually need it - she could just use her holo-board to project the message - but Alderaan was big on fancy stuff. Which, when Han thought about it, explained the trial. He hadn't been in many trials, but he was pretty sure they weren't like _that._

Leia took a deep breath, and began to read. "Dear Convict. As you have learned in your tr-"

" _Dear c_ onvict?" Han repeated, interrupting her. "Aw, thanks That's so sweet."

The princess rolled her eyes. "Please, don't make fun of my planet's customs," she growled. "I don't like it any more then you do, but I have to say it."

"You don't like it? Then change it."

"Sorry. Not that simple." Leia cleared her throat, and went back to her paper. "As you have learned in you trial, you have been proven guilty. Your punishment is as follows: jail for five years. However," she added, as Han started to protest, "We do have another option."

Han folded his arms, business-like. "What's that?"

Leia shut her scroll with a snap. "A reform camp."

"Huh?"

The princess sighed. "Because you aren't a legal adult, and because Alderaan is soft on children, you get to go to reform camp. Which, as it says in my scroll, is supposed to 'rid you of your evil ways, and turn you back to the side of the right'"

Han laughed. "No kidding? It really says that?"

For the first time, Leia sort-of smiled. "Yep. It really says that."

"So." Han leaned forward, encouraged. "About that reform camp. Is it the kind that treats you like a 5 year-old, or the kind that hits you over the head with large, blunt objects?"

Leia raised her eye-brows. "You sound like you've been to one before."

"No, thank goodness. But I've heard stories."

"Well don't worry." Leia shifted her weight from foot to foot, restless. "We don't hit people with large, blunt objects. As for the 5 year-old part, uh, I don't know. But it seems to me like camp's a better option then five years in jail."

It was Han's turn to raise his eye-brows. "Are you trying to be a sales-person?"

This time, Leia full-out grinned. "Maybe I am. Does it matter?"

Han matched her smile. "No, your highness. Can't say it does." He leaned back, attempting casualness. "What if I do the camp thing, but I don't like it. Can I switch back?"

Leia shrugged. "Sure, if you want." She folded her arms. "Well, will you do it or not?"

Han considered this. He _had_ heard stories about reform camps, ones that ranged from stupid to harsh. But Alderaan wasn't really one for torture. And anyways, Leia was right: it _would_ beat spending five years in jail.

Plus, it might be easier for him to escape.

His mind made up, Han turned back to the impatient princess. "Sure. What the heck. I'll try your reform thingy. Hopefully, it won't be to horrible."

For the third time, Leia smiled, a thin, dark smirk that just touched her lips. "I'm hoping differently," she said softly, and then turned, striding quickly back up the way she'd come.

Leaving Han staring after her, wondering if he'd just been threatened. Wondering what the heck he'd just gotten into.


	7. Luke

"Luke! Luke! Get up, you lazy kid!"

The peaceful morning of Tatooine was abruptly shattered by a middle-aged man, hollering at the top of his lungs. Apparently, his age did not limit his vocal capacity, because he was yelling loud enough to wake the dead. Pounding fiercely on the door in front of him, he continued his tirade. "Luke! Get your butt out here! You're going to be late!"

In side the room, his nephew, Luke Skywalker, was having a very hard time concentrating on what his uncle was saying. Currently, he was hanging upside-down on the ceiling of his bedroom, trying to reach an open panel in the wall. Small sparks of electricity jumped around his wrists, making him wince. But he was used to it. After all, he'd had to fix this particular device about 75 times already.

"Luke!" His uncle, Owen Lars, gave the door another good pound. "Sands alive, boy! What are you _doing_ in there?!"

"Fixing the ventilation system!", Luke called back, twisting around to grab another tool. "It was making weird fizzing noises again, and I thought I should-"

" _Fixing the_ _ventilation system!"_ His uncle sounded aghast. "Hang the ventilation system! You're going to miss your ride! What does it matter?!"

Personally, Luke thought that if the ventilation system got worse, and decided to explode like it had last summer, it might be a problem. But he dropped his tools, and sat up, shaking off his temporary dizziness. Sliding to the ground, he grabbed his bag, and shoved the last few items into it. As he did, he felt nervousness bubble up in his chest.

Fixing the system had been a welcome distraction from thinking about the upcoming events. But now that he was back on the ground, and back in reality, Luke found that he couldn't shake his apprehension. Grabbing his back-pack and his tool box, he pushed open the door, and brushed past his uncle. He was too worried to talk, with all his fears suddenly jumping him.

He pushed open the door to his house, and felt the old Tatooine heat wash over him, comforting him. Shading his eyes against the bright sun-light, he made out the form of his Aunt, Beru Lars, standing in front of an old hover-taxi. She smiled at her nephew. "Well, honey? Are you ready to go?"

Luke swallowed, and nodded, suddenly feeling choked up. Oh man, if his friend saw him, they'd never let him alone. "Yeah, I guess so."

His aunt smiled at him, and held out her arms. "Come on, Luke. Give your old lady a hug, why don't you."

Luke had to bend down a little to grant her wish - he had shot up two inches in one month, and was now a good deal taller then Beru. He wrapped his arms around her, getting a whiff of her rosemary perfume. She hugged him tightly. "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" She drew away then, and surveyed him. "Look at you! You're all grown up now! My, my, has it been so long?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Luke noticed the taxi-driver gesture pointedly at his watch. He turned back to his aunt. "I gotta go now." Then, realizing how unfeeling that sounded, he added, "I'm gonna miss you too."

"Hang on!"

Luke turned to see Owen Lars striding toward them. He reached out, and clapped Luke on the shoulder with one huge hand. "Don't tell me you're going to leave without saying good-by!"

"Uh..." Luke grinned sheepishly at his Uncle, who still somehow managed to tower over him, despite being a few inches shorter. " 'By?"

His uncle gazed at him for a moment, strangely unreadable. Then, abruptly, he pulled Luke into a hug, in a completely unexpected burst of affection, patting him strongly on that back. "You do good, boy," he muttered, his voice thick with emotion. "You show those home-bred kids just what you're made of."

"O-okay." Luke was briefly disarmed by his uncle's rare show of endearment. "I-I'll do that. Thanks."

"Right." His uncle pulled back, and pushed his nephew toward the waiting taxi. "Now get out here, or you'll miss you're ship!

* * *

Later, Luke sat in his seat on a space-ship, staring out into the dark of space. His heart thumped in his throat, and he clutched his bag with white knuckles. It was happening. It was _really happening._

He was going to Alderaan.

Luke still couldn't believe his luck. After all, he'd been just one, out of _thousands,_ to do the tests. And yet, somehow, he'd been chosen. Him, chosen, to go to St. Garf Academy, a private school with an incredible reputation. And to think, he'd just entered the tests because his friend dared him to!

And here he was. On his way to Alderaan. Luke closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. After all, he had 4 hours until he got to his destination. He might as well get some sleep. He didn't want to look like a mess when he got there. What would the people think, if he-

He didn't think anymore. He was asleep.

* * *

Luke sat on the bed of his new hotel room, unpack his stuff. He couldn't stop staring at his surroundings. Everything was so new, so clean, so sharp, so bright! His fingers itched, wanting to take it all apart.

Because Luke loved tinkering with things. When he was younger, he had been constantly dismantling his aunt's kitchen supplies, just to see how they worked. As he got older, he had also made things. Now, Luke spilled some of his smaller inventions out onto his bed, and looked at them fondly. He couldn't wait to show them to his new teachers. He wasn't sure why he'd been chosen, but he was determined not to let the down. Whoever "they" were.

 _Knock, knock._

Startled, Luke looked up. "Who is it?"

"Open the door, and find out!", a girl's voice called back.

Confused, Luke got up, and opened the door. Standing in the doorway was a tall girl, about his age. She had long, brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a white poncho and jeans, and had a hover board tucked under one arms. When she saw him, she smiled, and stuck out one hand.

"Hi," she said. "My name's Princess Leia Organa. I'm here to show you around.

* * *

 **A/N: Really bad ending, sorry guys. I was getting rushed. Thank so much for reading! This is now one of my most popular stories! :D  
**


	8. Family Reunion

Leia didn't know what to expect, when she went to visit the new exchange student. It was one of her jobs, after all. To help special visitors feel welcome. Curious about why a respected school like St. Garf would choose to accept a kid from Tatooine, she had read up on the boy's profile on the way to his apartment.

Well, apparently, this kid was a genius.

Not a genius in everything, mind you. In most of the test, Luke Skywalker had done pretty much average. Studies showed that he was a good learner, a hard worker, and a dedicated student. It was only in a few select places that he showed any sign of breaking the mold.

But in those places...

Long story short: he was absolutely brilliant when it came to problem solving. More specifically, when it came to mechanics. Leia didn't know how the testers had gotten this information, but the results were staggering. According to the reports, Luke only had to look at a broken devise, and he knew what was wrong with it. He worked incredibly quickly, eliminating options seemingly without testing them. And astoundingly, amazingly, he was always right. At least, he was always right when they tested him.

So, like she mentioned before, Leia didn't know what to expect from this apparent mastermind. She had thought up many scenarios, some awkward, some ridiculous.

But she'd never thought that she'd start the meeting, practically dying from laughter.

"Your Highness," stammered the boy in front of her. "W-what...d-did... _ahh_..."

"I-I'm sorry," Leia gasped. She looked up, trying to compose herself, then burst out laughing again. "S-sorry, it's just...oh _sky,_ you should see your face!"

"Uh..." The boy, probably Luke, stood there, looking lost. "Err...sorry?"

Taking a deep breath, Leia forced herself to get together. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she smiled. "No, no, don't apologize. It's me who should be apologizing. My mom's told me a million times that I shouldn't jump people with that fact, but it's just so hilarious to see their reactions."

"Oh." Luke blinked, still seeming confused. "Then, uh, you're welcome?"

Leia grinned again, deciding she liked this kid. "Alright, let's try this again." She held out her hand. "My name's Princess Leia Organa, and I'm here to show you around." She paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, and you don't need to call me 'Your Highness', alright? It just gets annoying."

"O-okay." Slowly, Luke took Leia's out-stretched hand, and shook it gently. "So, um, I'm Luke Skywalker, and I'm, uh...very pleased to meet you?"

"Oh please." Leia, taking no precautions, shook Luke's hand vigorously. "The pleasure is mine." She stepped away, and looked around, whipping sweat off her brow. " _Stars._ It's _hot_ in here."

Luke looked sheepish. "Err, sorry. It's just so cold on this planet, and I turned the temperature up a bit. I can turn it down it you want."

"You think it's _cold_ here?", Leia was confused, until she remembered Luke's origins. "Oh _right._ You come from Tatooinie." A thought occurred to her, and she spun back toward Luke. "Hey, have you seen the ocean yet?"

"Huh?"

"The ocean." Leia tried to suppress a smile. "You know. A huge body of water that covers most of a planet. Come on, you've got to have _heard_ of them at least."

"Oh yeah." Luke's eyes lit up, as the memory flashed through them. "I was planning to go some time, though I don't know when."

"Well come on then." Leia spun around, and marched through the door.

Luke followed, looking confused. "What? Where are we going?"

"To see the ocean, of course."

* * *

"Luke. _Luke._ Earth to Luke."

Luke had a nagging feeling that someone was trying to talk to him, but he couldn't concentrate. All his senses were trained on the sight in front of him, driving all other thoughts from his head. Only a few words managed to break through the fog that had descended over his mind.

 _Blue._

 _Big._

 _Wet._

 _Big._

 _Big._

 _B-_

"Luke!" Someone, probably Leia, grabbed him by the shoulder. "Come back to me, Luke."

"Wha...?", Luke asked, dazed. With great difficultly, he ripped his eyes away from the...the...the _thing_ in front of him, forcing himself to focus on Leia's face. "I-I'm here."

Leia was grinning. "Stars, Luke. You are _incredible._ I have _never_ seen someone react that way to an ocean."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Uh...thanks?"

Her smile growing wider, Leia grabbed his wrist, and started dragging him forward. "Come on, Tatooine boy. Let's go back."

"What?" Luke tried to stay put, but Leia was stronger then he was. "Why?"

"'Cause I'm on a tight schedule," the princess replied, barely slowing. "And I wasted at lot of time going here. Technically, I was supposed show you the city, but I thought you might want to see this instead. So now, I've got to run. And it's not right to leave you behind."

"Uhh..." Luke struggled to keep up with Leia's rapid-fire way of speaking. "So...this is it? I don't get to see anything else?"

"Nope. Sorry," Leia chirped, hopping expertly onto the hover-board that had taken them there. Then, she paused, and tilted her head, considering. "Well, I guess you could..."

"Could what?"

Instead of answering, Leia reached into the pocket of her pants, and pulled out her HMD (Holo-Messaging Device). She pressed the power button, and began scrolling through her windows. "What's your CIN (Caller Identification Number)?"

Confused, Luke pulled out his own, battered, half-falling-apart HMD. "T-3-9-6-7." Why?"

Leia murmured a command into her DDF (figure that one out by yourselves.) "Good," she said, as one of her windows made a dinging noise. "Now, if you ever want to finish your tour, contact me."

"Wait, really?" Flabbergasted, Luke climbed onto the hover-board. "Are you allowed to do that? Am _I_ allowed to do that?"

"You are now," Leia replied breezily. Then, before her passenger could argue, she shifted the hover-board into high gear, and sped off. Wondering why in space she had done a thing like that.


	9. Reform Camp

Han knew he was in trouble when his cell door banged open, and a huge-yet-muscly-looking Zabrak barged in.

He pretended to be asleep, but it didn't fool the Zabrak in the slightest. Grunting heavily, she clomped over to his cot, grabbed him by his left elbow, and lifted him effortlessly out of his curled-up position. Han yelped, and struggled to free himself. He found that this was surprisingly hard to do, mostly because his legs weren't touching the ground. The Zabrak, ignoring his protests, looked him up and down.

"Humph," she grumbled. "So this is what they give me to work with."

Han thrashed desperately, but the Zabrak only lifted him higher. Furiously, he let out a stream of cuss words, that ended with, "Put me down!"

The Zabrak promptly dropped him. Han twisted to the side just in time to avoid a broken jaw. He leaped to his feet, almost knocking his head against the under-side of his cot. "Who the _ are you?!"

The Zabrak surveyed him coolly. "I," she said, with frosty precision, "am the person who's going to whip your sorry butt into shape. You may call me Ma'am."

"Huh?" Han blinked rapidly, trying to pull his thoughts together. "Wait. Hang on. Are you from that reform camp Leia told me about? 'Cause if you are, I-"

He abruptly stopped speaking, as the Zabrak took one step forward, and looked him in the eyes. Zabraks are fearsome creatures, almost like human. The only differences, really, are the little horns that right their heads, and the two hearts beating in their chests. Han had never seen one up close before, and he made a mental note to never let it happen again. The Zabrak narrowed her eyes at him.

"Alright, shorty," she growled. "First things first. Do not ever call the princess by her first name. I don't know what she told you about the reform camp, but here's how things are going to work. Number 1: You listen to me, and me only. If you ever disrespect me, or disobey me, believe me, there will be consciences. Number 2: Do not ever steal, lie, cheat, gamble, swear, murder, st-"

"Excuse me," Han said, trying to muster up some courage. "I thought we made it clear in the trial, I am _not_ a murd-"

"Number 3!", the Zabrak bellowed, making Han jump. "You will not speak to anybody, unless they speak to you. I hope I have made myself clear, shorty, because I expect you to know these things _immediately._ " When Han didn't say anything, she yelled, " _Have I made myself clear?!"_

"Yes," Han said, scrunching up against the wall. "Yes you have.

"Yes you have _what?_ "

"Yes you have Ma'am."

"Good." The Zabrak turned away from her charge. For a moment, Han thought she was leaving, and she was, really. Only, she was taking him along with her, so it didn't really count. Han struggled as best he could, but the Zabrak had a grip like iron. She began talking as she went, apparently not noticing Han's pointless thrashing.

"You'll start off cleaning, today," she said, pulling him down a tapestry-ed hallway. "I suppose we'll start off in the dining hall. Not too many things to steal there that would go unnoticed." She stopped at a closet, pulled it open, and shoved a duster in Han's face. "Here shorty. Take this."

"But why do-"

" _Take it!"_

Han took the duster.

The Zabrak dragged him down several other corridors, talking rapid-fire the whole way. Most of it flew past it's intended recipient, but Han got enough to figure it out. Apparently, he was to spend his afternoon dusting in the dining room. The Zabrak would be right there with him, cleaning too. If anything went missing, she would know just who did it. '

Han wasn't exactly sure how this qualified with "turning him back to the side of the right." But he didn't really feel like questioning things right now. He liked his arms just the way they were, and would rather not be parted with them.

When they reached the dining room, Han's mouth dropped open. The room was large and rectangular, with about 50 diamond chandeliers. A huge, mahogany table was stretched down the middle of it, reaching almost from end to end. Gold-framed mirrors covered the walls, reflecting light into every corner. Small wooden cabinets and dressers stood against the walls, covered with a crazy assortment of things. Small figurines, tiny china cup, knitted squares of fabric, you name it. Han wandered up to one of the tables, his eyes wide.

The Zabrak loomed behind him, her hands on her hips. "Alright, shorty," she muttered. "Let's get cleaning."

So Han cleaned.

He didn't know how many little objects he'd dusted, or how many mirrors, he'd swept clean, before he realized that there was someone else in the room. Someone so quiet and still, that he hadn't noticed until now. Brow furrowed, Han straightened up from a short cabinet piled with small, mechanical devices, and glanced around.

His eyes caught on Princess Leia, seated in one of the cushioned chairs that were part of the table. Her head was bent over her hands, and Han realized that her HMD was out. Her tanned, slender fingers expertly navigated the device. She seemed not to notice that anyone was there.

Quickly, Han scanned the room. The Zabrak was focused on polishing one of the mirrors, and was paying no attention to him. Quietly, Han snuck forward across the room, until he was right behind Leia. Leaning over, he murmured, "Hi, princess."

She started a little, the relaxed. "Well. Looks like they let the animal out of it's cage."

"I'm offended," Han said, grinning. Leia snorted, and continued scrolling through her messages. Not to be deterred, Han leaned over her shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"

"Being bored." Leia was slightly tense, but other then that, appeared unaffected by Han's close proximity. "I have to stay here until dinner, or until Mom comes and gets me."

"Get in trouble?"

"None of your business." Leia looked up, and met his eyes for the first time. Her gaze was arrogant. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Maaaaybe?"

"Is this for the reform camp?" Leia glanced around the room, and her eyes snagged on the Zabrak. "Oh stars, is _she_ part of it? Aw man, I almost feel sorry for you."

Han also looked at the Zabrak. "Why? Do you know her?"

The princess nodded solemnly, turning back to her work. "Juuvaela has always been my house-keeper. She's nice if you follow her rules, but _space,_ don't get her angry."

"Right." Han leaned over Leia's shoulder again. "So, I ask again. Whacha doing?"

"Messaging people." Leia looked up, saw Han trying to read her screen, and covered her HMD with one hand. "Friends, acquaintances. Things you wouldn't know about."

"Hey," Han protested mildly. "I have friends. Just not the way you have friends." He tried to squint past Leia's fingers, and read the name at the top of the screen. "Who's this 'Luke' person? Your boyfriend?"

This attempted jab barely fazed Leia. "Don't be stupid. I don't have a boyfriend." She pulled the HMD further away from Hans's prying eyes. "We just met anyways. He's an exchange student from Tatooine." Suddenly she laughed, a soft, light sound. "You should have seen his face when he saw the ocean!"

It occurred to Han, that he'd never heard her laugh before.

This thought surprised him so much, that he didn't notice the Zabr-, sorry, _Juuvaela_ sneaking up on him. It wasn't until she screamed, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" right in his ear, that he registered her presence.

"Uh..." Han fished around for an answer. "I'm cleaning. Like you said. See?" He raised his duster, and began to dust Leia's elaborate hair-do.

This did not help his case in the slightest. Juuvaela's eyes narrowed, and she clamped her hand firmly down on Han's wrist. Han had just braced himself for whatever was coming next, when Leia suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, leave him alone," she said carelessly, not even looking up. "He wasn't doing any harm."

Juuvaela's eyes blazed, but she let go of Han's wrist. "As you wish, princess," she said, lowering her head. The murderous look in her eyes told Han, in no uncertain tones, to step away from the princess, and get on with his work.

She spun on her heel, and walked away. Han stalled for a moment, leaning his head all the way over Leia's shoulder. As she looked up, he grinned. "Tell this Luke person I said hi."

Then he was gone, scampering after his employer.

Leia watched him go, a small smile spreading across her lips. A ding from her HMD brought her back to her screen, and she checked Luke's message.

 _ **Luke S.;** So where should we meet? A restaurant, or something? _

Leia considered her answer. Finally, she lowered her hand, and typed back:

 _ **Princess Leia O.;** There's some café by Rosewood Street. We could get together there, or something. _

She cocked her head, reading the reply. A smile graced her lips for just a second, and she added a small bit of text to the message, almost as an after-thought.

 ** _Princess Leia O.;_** _Oh, and Han says hi._


	10. Family Talk

"So," Leia said. "How was your first day of school?"

Luke considered this question. All things considered, it hadn't been that bad. He'd had a small bit of popularity, of course, because he was the only student from Tatooine. But he'd tried his best to seem uninteresting. Luke was friendly enough, but he was also kind of shy. For most of the day, he'd sat in the back of the class, doing his work, paying attention, and trying not to seem like a complete nerd.

Now, sitting in a cafe with the princess of Alderaan, he summed the whole experience up with one word.

"Good."

Leia sighed, and stirred her coffee. "Really? Was it that bad?"

"I never said it was bad!", Luke protested. He took a bite of his scone, and found it delicious, much better then the ones his aunt made him. After swallowing, he added, "Besides, I have a lot on my mind."

"You think _you_ have a lot on your mind?" Leia took a sip of her drink. "Oh please. My birthday's coming up in about a week and a half, and my parents are frantic. They're so afraid that I'm gonna get attacked or something. And I was so hoping this year was going to be special."

At the mention of birthdays, Luke sat up, frowning. "When's your birthday?"

"The 18th."

"Oh." Luke's eye-brows furrowed. "And how old are you turning?"

"Sweet 16," Leia declared sarcastically. Then she looked confused. "What's the matter?"

"What? Oh, nothing." Luke looked back at his scone, a small smile appearing on his face. "It's just... My 16th birthday's coming up too." He raised his head again, his eyes meeting Leia's. "And it's on the 18th."

"No." Leia sat up. "You're kidding me. Really?"

Luke nodded, and took a bite of his scone. With his mouth full, he added, "We're birthday siblings."

"Huh?"

"We're birthday siblings." Luke swallowed. "It's a slang term my friends and I use for people with the same birthdays.

"You meet a lot of people who share your birthday?"

Luke shook his head. "Nope you're the only one." Then it was his turn to look confused. "What is it?"

Leia fought down her smile. "Nothing," she said. "It's just that I was adopted when I was a baby, so this is really interesting."

Luke's mouth dropped open. "You're adopted?" Then he frowned. "Are you even supposed to tell me that?"

"Probably not," Leia said breezily. "My parents couldn't have a child, so they applied for one. And they got me." She stared off into the distance, a far-away look in her eyes. "They didn't name me, though. My mother named me, before she gave me away."

"Oh." Luke was silent for a moment. Then, after a second, he said, "Actually, I suppose I'm adopted too, in a way." He grinned at Leia's surprised look. "My parents died in a Tusken attack when I was a baby. I was brought up by my aunt and uncle." He poked at his scone, suddenly not hungry. "So, I guess you could say I'm adopted."

Leia studied his face for a moment. "You miss them, don't you," she said quietly. When Luke didn't answer, she reached across the table, and put her hand on his. They sat like this for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Leia sighed, and pushed back from the table. "Well, no sense thinking about depressing things. Come on."

Luke stood up too. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know." Leia glanced around at the street around her, at her _home._ She smiled, her heart warming again. "Wherever the wind takes us, I guess." And then, she raced off down the street, followed by Luke. Life was good. Everything was alright.

For now.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note_ : Merry Christmas! Or Happy New Years, if you don't celebrate Christmas!**


	11. Plans

**I just saw the new movie! Oh my gosh! It's perfect! Incredible! Breathtaking! Epic! Stunn-**

 **Okay, okay, I'll get to the story.**

* * *

A few days after cleaning the dining room, Juuvaela decided to move Han on to something other then house-cleaning. "The royal family is having a banquet tonight," she told Han, as she dragged him to another part of the building. "You'll be serving dinner to the guests."

This was just fine with Han. He had spent the last three days cleaning the west wing of the house from top to bottom, and he was ready for a change. Now he stood in a line with several other young boys, waiting to receive a briefing.

The being in charge of the briefing walked up and down the lines, talking ecstatically and ferociously. Han was sure that it was saying something meaningful and uplifting. But he wasn't paying attention. He had bigger things on his mind.

He was going to escape.

No, not today. That was preposterous. But Han had finally thought up a plan. Sure, it was a little scrappy, and relyed mostly on luck. But it was something. And something was better then nothing. Han took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and strode out into the dining hall, ready to begin what needed to be done..

He would have begun right away, if he hadn't been distracted by two things.

The first was the dinning hall itself. It had changed since Han had last cleaned it. Instead of having one long table stretching down the middle, it had dozens of smaller tables scattered around the room. Each table seated up to six beings, and looked almost identical to one another. The chandelier light glinted off glitter-wood surfaces.

The second thin that caught Han's attention was Princess Leia. She sat at a table with her parents, looking bored and restless. She wore a long white dress with a jewled collar and a slit up one side. Her hair was curled back in two buns, and her face was elegantly decorates with make-up. It took Han a moment to realize he was staring.

It took another moment to notice the guy sitting next to Leia.

He was dressed in the rich clothes of a monarch from Coruscant, and was one of the huminoid aliens. His smile was all pointed teeth, and he had one hand placed over Leia's. Han immediately disliked him. His hand clenched on the tray he was holding. Who had let that creep near Leia? What gave him the right to sit with her, to talk to her, to look at her !ike that?

"Hey buster! Get a move on! You're holding up the line!"

Han hastily moved forward as the servers behind him began to grumble. Sliding into the steady flow, he tried to keep his mind on his work - and his plan. He really needed luck on his side. Fortunately, Juuveala had dressed him so that nobody would recognize him. Well, they would if they looked close enough, but most diners gave their servers only a passing glance. So, if fate was kind to him, Han should be able to pull this off.

And fate usually was kind to him. Usually.

He was just serving drinks to an elderly pair of Cathar, when he noticed Leia excusing herself from her table, probably to go to the bathroom. Acting on a sudden urge, Han slid away from the Cathar, and followed her.

A few steps out of the door, he called, "Hey Princess!"

Leia stopped. Very slowly, she turned around. Her eyebrows rose when she saw Han. "You. What are you doing here?"

"Serving dinner." Han walked forward. Who's that guy you're sitting with? He looks insufferable."

Leia's lips twitched. "He _is_ rather insufferable, isnt' he? If you really want to know, he's my suitor."

"He's your _what?"_ Han's mouth dropped open. " You have suitors? At what, fourteen?"

This time, Leia's faze hardened. "For your information, I'm turning 16 in about a week. And he's not my suitor in the sense that he's going to marry me in a mouth. _Stars,_ no. But my parents think that I need to 'deepen my male relationships'. So every Fithday, I meet some guy who's traveled the galaxy to see me. Or so they say."

Han folded his arms. "So your parents are forcing you to meet insufferable guys? That's nice of them."

"No they don't." Leia's frown deepened. "They don't force me to meet _you,_ do they? And they're not all insufferable. Some are actually quite descent people." She turned away, her dress swishing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

Han watched her walk away, indignation rising in his throat. He was just about to run after her, when her remembered his plan. He could begin it right now, if he was quick. Turning down a different hallway, he began to search for a crowded crossing.

It didn't take long. Even though there was a dinner party going on, the building was still full of busy people, going to and fro. Seeing his chance, Han walked forward, and slammed his shoulder into the side of a Chagrain. Then he turned, mock anger rising in his throat. Adopting a thick, Bespin accent, he cried, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The Chagrain turned. "Where _I'm_ going? Excuse me, sir, but you bumped into me!"

"What? How dare you accuse me of that, you little-"

"Yeah? Yeah?" The Chagrain was up in Han's face now, hopping mad. Han, noting the gathering crowed around them, smashed his fist into the Chagrain's blue face. With a roar, it launched itself toward Han, and the fight was on.

Well, sort of. Han was only just getting warmed up, when two pairs of arms wrapped around him, dragging him backward. "Whoah there," said a grey-skinned Besalisk. "Calm down, Son. Break it up."

Han, his face flushed, let himself be set down. He noticed the Chagrain glaring at him, similarly restrained. Han glared right back, then turned on his heel, striding quickly out of the crossway, and down the hall.

A few feet from the dining hall, he stopped, and straightened his clothing. As he did so, his fingers brushed against the solid, black object that he'd snitched from the Chargain's back pocket. Taking a quick glance around, he pulled it from his coat, and looked at it.

It was a simple little mechanism, no bigger then his hand. But it was a crucial step in Han's plan. Han turned it over and over in his hands. _A Contacter!_ Able to contact anyone with a similar one anywhere on the planet. And, with a little tinkering, anyone in the galaxy. And now, it was in his hands. Grinning wildly, Han stuffed the Contacter back into his pocket.

 _Yeah, baby! Han Solo is back!_


	12. Contact

_Come on! Come on! Work!_

Han crouched on his cot in his cell, his head bent over the Contacter in his hands. He fiddled with the open circuit bored in front of him, cursing quietly when he poked himself. It was much too dark for this. But it wasn't like he could do it anytime else.

Sparks flew. Han cursed again. Over the years, he'd become a decent mechanic, mostly because he kept having to fix the _Millennium Falcon_ all the time. But this was _hard. Please don't let me break it. Please don't let me break it._

With a sigh, he shoved the circuit back into place. Hopefully, it would work. Suddenly nervous, Han typed in the code for the _Millennium Falcon's_ radio. He waited breathlessly, as the dial tone sounded.

 _Come on! Come on..._

Something sounded through the Contacter's ear-peice. Han jumped, then hastily raised the thing to his head, trying to figure out what he was hearing.

For a moment, he thought it was just static. Then relief flooded over him, as Chewbacca's confused, and slightly sleepy growl began rumbling. "Who the _ are-?"

"Chewie! It's me! Man, it's good to hear your growl again!"

There was a pause. Then: "Han? Space, is it really you?" Chewbacca was suddenly more alert. "How are you-?"

" Long story." Han glanced around the dark cell, but he didn't see anyone coming. "What planet are you on?"

Chewbacca snorted. "Planet? How dumb do you think I am, Solo? I'm on a moon, somewhere west of here. What's the plan?"

"Depends. How's our girl?"

"Bad." Han heard his friend shifting around. "Her engines are shot, and she's not that stealthy anymore. I don't know if she's gonna get off the ground."

Han's heart plummeted. "What do you _mean_ she might not get off the ground? Haven't you tried to fix her?"

"Of _course_ I have!" Chewie sounded annoyed. "She's screwed, Solo. She needs a professional. And yes, I've tried to find one. But Alderaan has people looking for me. I can't go that far."

Han swore, and leaned back. "Right. Okay. Well, I'll try to think of something. Talk to you later, alright."

"Alright. Take care of yourself, buddy." And with a click, Chewbacca was gone, leaving Han feeling strangely lonely. Tucking the Contacter back into it's hiding place, he turned over, and tried to go to sleep.

* * *

" _You're_ dressed up."

"Shut up, Han." Leia glanced in the mirror, trying to ignore the person behind her. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Cleaning."

Leia sighed, and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You're always cleaning. Don't you get sick of it?"

Han laughed. "Believe me, Princess, I'm sick as _. But I can't change jobs until Juuvaela lets me."

"Don't swear," Leia advised. "It might help your case." She glanced at her clock, and sighed. " _Stars,_ I don't want to do this."

She'd said it quietly, hoping Han wouldn't hear, but he did anyways. He turned toward her, looking interested. "Do what?"

Reluctantly, Leia said, "I have to go meet my people. It's a tradition. Near my birthday, I go out and make a speech to the citizens of Alderaan. When I was little, I loved it, but now it's just a pain." She paused, then added, almost as an afterthought, "I really wanted to see my friends, today. I was going to introduce them to Luke."

"Oh." Han turned back to his work. "Your boyfriend."

Leia smirked at him. "What's the matter? Jealous?"

"Don't be rediculous." Han paused again, and folded his arms. He looked tired, and sounded like it too. "What's so cool about this Luke person anyway? You're always talking about him."

Leia glanced at the clock. She still had a few minutes. "He's an exchange student from Tatooine. One of my duties is to visit exchange students - and other important guests - and make them feel at home here."

Han raised an eyebrow. "He's from Tatooine? Because I was under the impression that you needed to be smart to get into an Alderaan university.

"Luke's smart!" Leia was indignant. "Actually, he's a genius."

"Oh really?"

"Yup. He can fix anything. Completely blew away the examiners." Leia glanced at the clock, and sighed. "I gotta go. Stop asking stupid questions."

And she left the room. Leaving Han standing in the middle of the room, suddenly wide awake.

* * *

"Hey, Chewie."

"What?"

"I have an idea."


	13. Late One Night

**A\N: Do you guys like the new cover? Somebody made it for me, and I wanted to try it out.**

* * *

 _145/367= .395_

 _362/78= 4.641_

 _981/777=_

 _..._

Luke groaned and put his pencil down. He massaged his temple. _Come on, Skywalker. Think._ He glanced back at his math homework, and read the problem again.

 _981/777=_

He checked the clock, and yawned. It was 23:41, much too late to be stressing about homework. But that's what he got for exploring Alderaan all afternoon. _Think! After this, you can go to bed._

His brow furrowed, then smoothed again, as the answer came to him. Of course! 981/777 was 1.263. Relief flooded over him, and he bent to note the answer. Finally, he could get so-.

 _Knock, knock, knock._

Luke sat up. _What the heck?_ Turning to face the door, he called, "Who is it?"

There was no reply.

Frowning, Luke turned back again, and began cleaning up his desk. He was just slipping his papers back in his bag, when the knock sounded again.

Louder this time.

Luke stopped, his skin prickling uncomfortably. He glanced back at the door, then slowly stood up. Striding quietly across the room, he opened the peep-hole on the door, and looked through.

Nothing there.

His heart suddenly pounding, Luke opened the door. As he glanced around, his eyes snagged on something attached to the door-frame. Frowning, he bent down, and unhooked it, then walked back into his room to examine it further.

It was about the size of his hand, big, black, and chunky. It had a thrown-together look, like somebody had cobbled it together in a hurry. On one side, there was a black, mallet-like thing. On top of it all was a small radio antenna.

Luke turned the device over and over in his hands, intrigued. Then he leaped back in shock, as the mallet-like thing began to move, slamming itself into the side of the device. Luke dropped it on the carpet, stumbling backward, thinking a variety of words that he'd never say out loud. Then his back hit the window, and he momentarily forgot to think at all.

Because the window wasn't there.

Instead, Luke found his upper-body dangling over the edge of his window sill, his arms flailing for a grip on the smooth metal side of the building. Below him, the upside-down skyscrapers of Aldera, Alderaan's capital, swam in a dizzying circle. Luke was too terrified to speak, to yell, to get help. He raised his arms upward, his feet still scrabbling for a hold on the carpeted floor of his hotel room.

He had just grabbed the edge of his upturned window-pane, when something grabbed him, effortlessly dragging him completely out into the night.

Luke did yell then. Or tried to. But before his terrified shriek had fully left his mouth, his captor slammed Luke's face into something soft, furry, and utterly suffocating. Luke struggled wildly, his lungs screaming at him. Frantically, he clawed at the thing, trying to find a way to get it away from his face. But his captor only applied more pressure on the back of Luke's head, silent and deadly.

As his vision faded into blackness, Luke hoped vaguely that his teachers wouldn't get too mad at him for missing school.

* * *

 _Hanging from the side of the hotel building, a hairy, 7'3" shadow felt the small human go limp. Quickly, he turned the boy onto his back. Luke's chest heaved, as his lungs gulped in air. He didn't wake up though._

 _The shadow observed him for a moment, using one huge finger to brush blond hair away from Luke's face. The kid didn't look that impressive. Still, maybe there was something to him. The shadow didn't much care, at the moment. He had to catch a shuttle. So he slung his captive over one, hairy shoulder, and began to shimmy down the grapple line that he'd attached to the window above Luke's._

 _The shadow landed heavily on the ground, yanking his grappling hook from it's perch. He noticed that he'd left the device running in Luke's room, and stoped it with a remote. Then, on second though, he started it again, a grin spreading across his face. Let the police figure_ that _one out._

 _Moving quickly, the shadow stuffed Luke unceremoniously into a sack labeled **Glitter Grass,** along with the grappling hook, the remote, and about a pound of glitter grass, just in case someone decided to check inside. Then he swung the sack over his shoulder, donned his disguise that he'd discarded for the climb, and headed out into the street. _

_Hopefully, nobody would miss the supposed-genius until morning. Hopefully._


	14. News

"Leia? What are you _do-aurgh!"_

Han leaped to one side, panicked, as the princess's foot swung over him. Leia twisted around with a confused "Whaa?" Her hands flew out again, and Han dived for cover behind the rolling silver tea-tray that he'd pushed into the room.

Peering out warily, he caught a glimpse of Leia's face. The princess's face was red, and she was breathing hard. Bits of brown hair had escaped from her bun, and were sticking to her sweaty forehead. Her eyes were bright with adrenaline. Throwing back her head, she called, "Halt program!" Then she spun toward Han, looking annoyed. "What in space are you _doing?_ ""

"What am _I_ doing?" Han stood up, embarrassed. "What are _you doing?_ Killing people?"

" No,idiot," Leia said, panting. "I'm training."

Han picked up a pitcher of water, and poured a glass. Offering it to Leia, he asked, "What are you training for?"

Leia took the glass and downed it in a heartbeat. "Not for anything specifically. Just in case I get attacked." She handed it back to Han, and he filled it again.

"I didn't know Alderaan taught their girls to fight."

Rolling her eyes, Leia took the glass again. "Excuse me, but we live in the modern era now. Of course we teach girls to fight. I've been taking lessons since I was eight."

Han drummed his fingers on the tray. After a moment, he asked, "Why? What happened when you were eight?"

Leia had opened her mouth to reply, when the door burst opan. Han and Leia turned, confused, as a small alien came hurrying in. He grasped Leia's arm, and attempted to pull her away. "Princess! You must leave! Your parents have requested your presence!"

Confused, Leia jerked her arm away. "Well then, tell me, don't pull me! Stars, what's the big hurry?"

The alien ran a few feet, then realized that he no longer had a grip on the princess's arm. He spun back around, and ran toward her, just as frantic as before. "Please, my lady! There's been a..a.." He broke off, and continued tugging fruitlessly at Leia's arm.

"There's been a _what?_ " Leia was getting fed up with the little creature. "Tell me, or get out of here!"

The alien abruptly stopped tugging at her, and let go. Turning, he drew himself up to his full four feet, and announced, " There's been a kidnapping. "

Leia's eyes went wide. _What?_ Aloud, she said, stunned,"What? Who-?"

The alien continued talking, as if he hadn't heard her. "At 8:46 this morning, a student was reported missing by the owners of the hotel he was staying at. The whole cidy is in an uproar. Nobody knows who did of or where th-."

"Wait!" Leia clamped her hand over the alien's mouth. "That's not what I - who got taken?"

The alien drew back, annoyed by her attempts to shut him up. "I believe," he said frostily, "that the student's name was Luke Skywalker, an excha-."

Leia's glass dropped to the floor with a crash.


	15. Terms

Luke was no stranger to pain. During his relatively short lifespan, he had suffered many injuries, mostly due to his farm upbringing, and his fascination with mechanical devices. The headach he was currently experiencing was by no means overpowering.

Still, it did make it hard to think. Which was a problem, because he had no idea where he was, or how he got there.

Very slowly, Luke sat up, and looked around him. He was the single occupant of a little room. There were no windows, and the only decoration was a huge map on the wall behind him. He was lying in a strange bed, with a bandage around his head. Other then that, though, he was unharmed.

Luke was still for a moment, trying to think. He vaguely remembered the events of before, although the details were sketchy. He didn't remember hitting his head, though. Confused, he raised his fingers to his temple, then jerked them back, as pain throbbed though his mind.

Blinking, he looked around again. Across the room, there was adoor, leasing out into what Luke assumed to be a hallway. As he slid from the bed, he became aware of a humming sound, thrumming through the room. It was like the noise of some huge engine.

Confused, Luke stepped out into the hallway. He glanced nervously from side to side, but he didn't see anyone coming. He did, however, hear a muffled noise coming from further down the corridor. Against his better wishes, Luke found himself walking towards it.

The sourse of the sound was behind two doors at the end of the hallway. Luke pressed his ear to the door, but all he heard was a low, static-filled voice and some strange growling noises. He concentrated. This could be important.

Then the doors burst open.

Luke jumped back in alarm, as a huge, furry shape came into his vision. The shape, upon seeing him, made a loud roaring noise, and grabbed Luke's arm. Luke, terrified, tried to sqirm away, but the shape was too strong. It dragged him into the room, and shut the door.

The interior of the room was small and slightly cramped. It's walls were covered with switches and lights, levers and consoles. In the middle of the room were two leather chairs, pulled up to a control board. And in the middle of the control board was a speaker. Currently, this speaker was emitting the static-y voice that Luke had heard outside.

The shape behind him let out a growling sort-of noise.

"Ah," said the voice from the speaker. "Hey there, Luke. How's it going?'

Luke said, " Uh, um."

"Oh, it's okay," the voice said breezily. "You don't need to say anything. I understand. It's not every day one meets someone as awesome as me."

Behind Luke, the shape let out a snort of laughter, and growled something. The voice instantly turned sour. "Shut it, Chewie. You're just jealous."

All Luke could think to say was, "Chewie?"

"Huh?" The voice turned its attention back to Luke. "Oh yeah. Meet my copilot Chewbacca."

 _Chewbacca!_ Eyes wide, Luke spun to face the hulking shape - Wookie - behind him. The Wookie gave him a small wave. Yep, it was definatly him. The being that almost all the Alderaan police were looking for. Which meant...

Half-choking on the words, Luke said, "Y-you're Han Solo."

The voice cackled. "The one and only, baby! Oh yes, you _are_ a genius."

"W-what?" Luke blushed. "I'm not-"

"Of course you are!" Han's voice cut easily across his. "Haven't you seen what your papers say? 'Luke Skywalker: Mechanical Mastermind'" His voice suddenly hardened. "You _are_ Luke Skywalker right?"

Luke blinked. "Uh, yes, but... you've seen my papers?"

"Eh. Let's just say I have, and forget about it." Han shifted into a more business-like tone. "But enough useless _. I kidnapped - er, _had_ you kidnapped - for a reason. Mr. Skywalker, I need you to fix my ship."

Luke stopped. Opened his mouth. Then shut it. Then opened it again, and said, "Excuse me?"

Han sighed. It was a very dramatic sigh. "Come _on,_ kid. You heard what I said. I. Need. You. To. Fix. My. Sh-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Luke held up his hands, then realized that this effort was wasted. "But, uh, why did you have to kidnap me to do it? Couldn't you have just asked me? Or someone else?"

There was a pause. Then Han said, "Well, you see, Chewie's kind of a wanted Wookie on Alderaan, and it's not like he can go around asking people. In fact, it was hard for me to convince him to kidnap you at all. But enough chit-chat. Here's the deal: You fix my ship, and I let you go home. Easy."

Luke thought about this. "What if I try to sabotage your ship, or something?"

Han laughed again. "Ooh, I like you, kid. Nah, you won't try that. Not after you see my girl. Trust me on this one."

Luke frowned, not convinced by the smuggler's words. But he found no reason to continue the discussion, or, for that matter, to disagree to the terms offered him. "Alright. I'll do it." He paused, then added, "Uh, where's your ship."

This time, Han didn't stop laughing for the longest time. Finally, he gasped, "Look around you, genius! Look around you!"

Luke did.

He suddenly had the disorienting feeling that the ground was dropping out from under him. He swallowed, trying to form words. Suddenly, a lot of things made sense. In the haze of his thoughts, only two came to the surface.

He was no longer on a planet. He was _very_ far from Tatooine.


	16. Interlude

**_Beeeeeep._**

 **"Yes? Who is it?"**

 **"It's me, sir. I, uh, just wanted to tell you at our ships are in formation."**

 **"Good. Very good. You're Sargent Kane, aren't you?"**

 **"Y-yes sir."**

 **"Right. Tell your superior to be ready for my signal."**

 **"Yes Sir. Right away, sir."**

 **"Wait."**

 **"W-what is it, s-sir?"**

 **"Make sure you and your squad don't mess this up. This is the perfect opportunity. If we fail..."**

 **"Y-y-y-yes sir."**

 **"Yes, what?"**

 **"Yes...Lord Vader."**

 **"Good. Cut signal."**

 _ **Beeeeeep**_


	17. Birthdays

The first thing Luke thought of, when he woke up that morning, was that he was sixteen.

He lay on the bed that he'd been sleeping in since his arrival, the irony of his situation slowly dawning on him. Just last year, he'd been looking forward to a huge celebration, with the rest of the creatures in his farming community. He'd even asked his teachers for permission to leave for Tatooine, just to make the idea a reality.

So how did his birthday end up? Well, he was sitting in the spaceship of a criminal, helping with a plan to break said criminal out of the Alderaan prison.

 _Yup. Happy birthday to me._

Luke sighed, and sat up, swinging his legs over the bed. Well, it could be worse. He couldn't speak Wookie any better then he could before, but he was almost certain that Chewbacca was going to let him go today. After all, he'd finished fixing the ship.

Oh yes, the ship...

Luke found himself smiling, just thinking about it. The _Milenium Falcon_ was a scrappy, outdated, cobbled-together-with-parts-from-other-ships, cheap price of metal. It's engines were at least 7 years old, and had long been replaced in newer models. And that wasn't even close to the age of the control board. Honestly, Han Solo could sell it to a Space Museum, and get an awful lot of cash.

Luke really hoped he didn't, though. Because Luke loved that ship.

It had been one of the most challenging problems that Luke had ever tackled. The mechanical devices that ran the ship were not confined to the room they were supposed to be in. And the ones that were had no organization. Luke had spent hours just trying to figure out what some objects did. Even when he did, he sometimes had to undo what was already there, or remove potentially explosive wiring systems, before he even began fixing stuff.

Sometimes, he had so much fun, he forgot he was a captive.

Shaking his head to clear it, Luke slipped off the bed and headed toward the cockpit of the ship. There, he found Chewbacca, leaning over the control pad and eating something out of a chipped, white bowl. When he noticed Luke, he offered him some, but Luke turned him down. After a moment, he said, a bit nervously, "Uh, today's my sixteenth birthday. Just, uh, thought you might want to know."

Chewbacca raised one furry eye-brow, and growled something. When Luke looked blank, he gestured to a ripped calendar. Luke could just see words scrawled on the box for the current day.

 _P. Leia's 16 B. Day_

"Oh yeah. Yeah, I know." Wondering why Han Solo would have marked Leia's birthday on his calendar, Luke took a seat next to Chewbacca. "So. What're we doing today?"

For an answer, the Wookie set down his bowl, and flipped some switches. The ship roared to life, making Luke's heart stop. "Hey, whoa. Are you sure tha-?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Chewbacca shoved a leaver into a different gear.

The ship blasted upward, throwing Luke backward into his seat. Terrified, he grabbed for a seatbelt, before remembering that there was none. He could only grip the sides of his seat with white-knuckled fingers, praying that the ship would stay in one piece. The only thing he could think about was how flimsy his repairs suddenly seemed.

 _Oh please, don't let me die!_

As if through a daze, he felt the ship shift into a powerful growl, slowing down. Luke heard Chewbacca's laughter, and found the Wookie grinning fuzzily at him. Luke glared, trying to get back some of his courage. "You little..."

Chewbacca laughed harder, then grinned at his human companion. After a moment, Luke smiled shyly back. It had worked! He had fixed the ship! He had-

He had...

Luke's happiness died as soon as it had come, as he stared through the cockpit window. Beside him, Chewbacca let out a low growl.

There, hulking above the green-blue sphere that was Alderaan, was a huge black ship. It loomed over the small planet, sleek, and dark, and huge. Painted on it's side was a symbol, stark and terrifying.

Luke knew that symbol. Everyone in the galaxy knew that symbol.

His breath suddenly rapid, he slowly turned to face Chewbacca. The Wookie was staring back at him, looking confused, and shocked and...scared?

Then, without speaking, Chewbacca touched the controls. The ship purred softly, and shot down toward the planet below.

* * *

Leia had no idea why she was visiting the prisons on the morning of her birthday. Maybe it was to escape the beings setting up her birthday party down in the main room. Maybe it was because - for the moment at least - she had nothing to do. But whatever the reason, here she was.

She spotted Han right away, leaning against the cot that served as his bed. His eyes were closed, but he looked up when he heard Leia coming. With great ceremony, he sat up, brushed off his clothes, and began to sing:

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Leia. Happy birthday to you."

Leia grinned at him. "Aw, you're so sweet."

Without pausing for breath, Han continued:

"Happy birthday to you. You live on Naboo. You look like Darth Vader, and you smell like him too."

Leia glared. "Han!"

The smuggler smiled impishly. "Happy birthday, your Highness, and might I say you look simply breathtaking today." His eyes settles on her waist, and he frowned. "And by breathtaking, I mean that you must have no breath left. How is your waist that tiny?"

"It's called a corset," Leia said, taking a seat on the floor, near Han's cell. "It's also considered fashionable, by my Mom's standards at least."

Han raised an eyebrow. "Uh hu. Anyways, I don't have anything to give you, sorry. People don't get much in prison. "

"Oh, forget it," Leia said, waving one hand dismissively. "I have enough presents already,and this is just the beginning of the day."

"Birthday blues, huh?"

The princess nodded, sighing. "Yup. It's always like this, though. Every morning, I wake up feeling bummed. Space knows why. It usually wears off after a while."

Han considered this. "And you come to me for help? I'm touched."

"Shut it, Solo. I only came 'cause I was bored."

"My, my, we _are_ in a bad mood, aren't we?" Han rubbed his hands together. "Never fear, your Highness. I am here to help." Then he frowned. "Hey, are you cold."

Leia looked up at him, and gave another little shiver. "A little. It's cold down here, and my dress doesn't offer much prote-" She stopped. "What are you doing?"

Han didn't answer her. He just continued undoing the buttons on his blue jacket. Then, he shrugged it off his shoulders, and handed it to her, through a small gap in the electro-bars. "Here. Happy birthday."

Slowly, Leia took the jacket. It was made of soft, worn leather, and has a cozy, musky scent. She slipped it over herself, and found it to be quite warm, even if it was a little big. She smiled at Han. "Thanks."

Han shifted a little, suddenly seeming embarrassed. "Yeah well... You seemed cold."

Leia's smile got wider, and she was about to say something, when she heard a voice call her name from the hallway outside. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet. "Well, thanks for the coat. I gotta go now."

"Hang on. What about my jacket?"

Leia had already walked a few feet away, but she turned, and gave Han her sweetest smile. "Don't you know? It's not nice to take back birthday presents." Then, as she heard Han start to speak, she added, "I'll give it back tomorrow, 'Kay?"

And then she was gone.

Han watched her walk away. He was vaguely aware that this happened a lot. He sighed, and curled up on the floor, too lazy to get back to his cot. One of these days, she'd stay. Stay for longer, at least.

One of these days...

He closed his eyes. He'd spent a good part of last night planning an escape with Chewbacca, so he wasn't exactly rested. He found the floor surprisingly comfortable, and was asleep in almost moments.

He only woke up when he heard the alarms start blaring.


	18. Battle (Part One)

**A/N: People seem confused about this, so let me explain:**

 **Yes, I know that in real life, Han is 10 years older then the Skywalker's. But in my story he isn't. Why? Because it's my story, and I said so.**

 **Sorry about the confusion. I love you all!**

* * *

In all his life, Han had never heard something so jarring, as those alarms.

He sat up, jerked awake, and clamped his hands over his ears. The sound shrieked through the room, bouncing off every wall, invading every space in Han's brain.

 _What the _ is going on?!_

Han's ears pricked up. Somehow, through the ear-drum-destroying sound of the alarms, he had heard footsteps coming from the outside. Someone was coming, probably to explain the meaning of this disrupting, unexpected, annoying-as-fu-.

Outside the door, a man screamed. At the same time, there was the sound of a blaster being fired. The scream was abruptly cut off, and a thump was heard from the hall. Heavy fists pounded on the door. Then the blaster fired again, and Han heard the lock fall apart.

The door began to open.

Suddenly wide awake, Han dropped back down to the floor, and rolled over on his stomach. He covered his face with his hands, and tried to look as lifeless as possible. Someone was coming, and this someone had just killed somebody else.

And there was no guarantee that they wouldn't kill Han either.

Through a gap in his hands, he spotted several legs trooping through the doorway. They were completely encased in white armor, that seemed to cover their whole bodies. They walked in perfect formation, without speaking. Han actually stopped breathing, as he suddenly realized what they were.

Storm-troopers.

Han tried desperately to organize his thoughts, while his whole body screamed illogically at him to run. Storm-troopers meant the Empire. Storm-troopers _here_ meant the Empire was...

Was...

 _Oh help._

He was jerked back to reality, as a pair of feet rounded the corner. Han caught sight of the legs of a guard, probably raising their pistol. But the troopers were quicker. Han heard a shot, and heard the guard cry out, a surprisingly feminine sound. The guard fell to the ground, the unused blaster falling from their - her - hand. It skidded a few feet, then stopped.

Right next to Han's cell.

Han's eyes trained on it, as he heard the troopers march away. He didn't know where they were going, or why they were here in the first place, but things were just starting to look up. Edging forward, he stretched out his fingers, slipping them through the small gap between the electro-bars that kept him in his cell.

One of his finger-tips hit the edge of the blaster, and it spun around, making a slight scraping noise that seemed to echo through the room. Han froze, sweat beading on his forehead, but the troopers didn't reappear. They must still be searching the prison for...something. But they would be back. There was only one exit.

He inched forward just a little bit more, and his finger touched the butt of the weapon, slowly dragging it toward the cell. He pushed one end downward, pointing it toward the panel that controlled the electro-bars. Han swallowed, his fingers stretching toward the trigger. This had to work. He only had one chance.

He fired.

The shot whizzed out, horrifyingly loud, seeming to ring out, even through the alarms. But it hit its target. With a slight fizzing noise, the bars disappeared. Han scrambled forward, wrapping his whole hand around the end of the blaster. He heard the sound of marching footsteps in the distance, and turned on his side. Without getting up, he pointed his weapon down the corridor.

The Storm-troopers rounded the corner, just as Han started shooting.

The first two - there were five - fell immediately. The next ones managed to get to their blasters, but were down before they could fire. The last trooper shot at Han, but he rolled out of the way. Sitting up, he fired. Somehow, by some miracle, the shot hit its mark. The last trooper crumpled, and Han could breath again.

He scrambled to his feet, glancing around for more danger, but there was none. So instead, he headed toward the doorway. More troopers might be on their way, and anyways, he really wanted to know what was going on.

The corridor outside was empty, thank the stars. Han heard the sound of fighting coming faintly from down the hall, in the direction of the main room, and he snuck towards it. If he got there, then maybe he could-

Just then, a door opened up on the side of the hallway, and someone pulled him inside.

Han struggled, and tried to cry out, but there was a hand over his mouth. Desperately, he tried to get his blaster up, but the end that actually fired things was pointing very unhelpfully toward his leg. He was just about to ram his elbow into whatever-it-was, when a voice hissed, "Han stop! It's me!"

Han stopped. " _Leia?"_

Well, it came out more like, " _Lhmh?",_ but you get the point.

The princess released him, and he turned. Yup, it was defiantly her. Her eyes were wide and frightened, and her hair was coming out of it's two buns. Han noticed that she was still wearing his jacket, although he didn't know why he thought of that.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Han talked over her. "Leia. What the _ is going on?"

Leia took a deep breath, "A Vrader."

"Say that again?"

"A Vrader," Leia repeated. Despite her scared appearance her voice was surprisingly calm. "A Vader raid. Darth Vader is attacking me. Again."

Han felt his knees go weak. " _Darth Vader?_ He's _here?"_ And then after a moment; "What do you _mean,_ 'again'?"

The princess pushed a stray lock of hair off of her forehead. "Remember when you saw me training in self-defense? I told you I'd trained since I was eight, and you asked why. On my eighth birthday, Vader attacked. I-I was almost killed." She shut her eyes. "He did it again on my 12th birthday, and on my 14th. Stars, Han, if you'd read about my history, you'd have known this!"

Han actually had read Leia's history, and he did know. He'd just forgotten. "So he did it again today? Don't you guys have procedures and plans and stuff? Where's your royal protection squad?"

For the first time, Leia's voice began to tremble. "We have a-a safe place," she said. "L-like a bunker. But when we got there, th-they ambushed us." She bit her lip, and her eyes began to water. "Han, m-my mom and dad. I-I-I don't know if they s-s..."

She trailed off, then swiped almost angrily at her face. After a moment, she muttered, "S-sorry. You must think I'm a coward. I-I've never been in a real battle before. There's always been people protecting me."

"What? No! I don't think you're coward." Han hesitantly put his hand on Leia's shoulder. "I was scared as _ in my first real battle. If you're scared, it means you're smart."

After a moment, Leia gave a watery smile. "A-alright." Then: "Just a q-question. How did you get out?"

"That's a story for another time, princess," Han replied. Then, he pulled out his Contater from inside his shirt. Ignoring Leia's shocked glance, he turned it on. "Hey Chewie, I-"

That was as far as he got, before Chewbacca began growling out a stream of information, saying that the Empire's ships were right overhead, the whole capitol was in a state of emergency, and what the hell is going on, Solo?! Han's explanation only made his friend more frantic, and Han had to yell at him to be quiet.

"Look," he muttered, glancing around to make sure that nobody was coming. "Just 'cause Vader's here doesn't mean the plan's off. In fact, it might even be easier, because the officials have bigger things to worry about. Just get in position, and wait for my signal."

He heard Chewie begin to protest, but he stuffed the Contacter back into his shirt. Turning, he found Leia staring at him. "Where did you get that?"

Han winked at her. "That's my little secret, your Highness."

He reached for the door, but Leia pulled him back. "What are you doing? If you go out there, you'll be killed!"

Han shrugged, trying to seem unconcerned. "If I stay in here, I'll also be killed. The troopers are going to look in here sometime, and _then_ what'll I do?" He considered this, then added, "Actually, you should probably come with me?"

"What? Why?"

"So you won't die either."

He reached for the handle again, and Leia didn't try to stop him. Reluctantly, she trailed out into the hall. "But I've never fired a gun before, not in real life. I'll just get you killed, or something."

"Hold that thought," Han said, and raised his blaster, just as two Storm-troopers rounded the corner. They were fast, but not fast enough. Han shot them quickly, then raced forward, and grabbed one of the trooper's blaster. Turning he tossed it to Leia. "Well, there's a first time for everything."

She caught it surprisingly easily, then looked at it warily. "Where are we going? What are you even trying to accomplish, Han?"

Han started creeping down the hall, beckoning for Leia to follow. "Well, you know what Vraders are good for, right?"

"What?"

He grinned. "Escape."


	19. Battle(Part 2)

Han snuck down the hallway, his blaster raised. Leia trailed behind him, one eyebrow raised. "Escape? Are you crazy? Do you know how many ships are out here?"

"Nope!", Han replied cheerfully. " Are you ready?"

"Ready for what, exactly?'

"To kick some Storm-trooper butt, of course.'

Leia rolled her eyes, then gripped Han's arm, suddenly scared. "Hang on. We can't go this way."

"What? Why not?"

"Because that's where the fighting is the worst." Leia pictured the main hall as it had been when she'd left it. It had been packed with beings, all struggling to overwhelm each other. She felt Han try to pull away, and tightened her grip. "It's a suicide mission."

Before Han could answer, they both heard footsteps. Spinning around, they saw a Storm-trooper marching toward them, weapon raised. Han raised his blaster as well, but Leia was faster.

Her blaster was up and firing before either of the others had reached their triggers. The trooper toppled immediately, as a shot hit it straight in the chest. Another one rounded the corner, but it fell just as quickly. So did the two behind it. Leia glanced around, but when no more troopers appeared, she slowly put her weapon down.

"Oh _," Han said. "I thought you said you've never been in a battle before."

"I haven't," Leia replied, trying to seem like she wasn't trembling. "I just have training, that's all."

Han considered this. "Good," he said finally. "You're gonna need it." Then he turned, and continued walking down the hall like nothing had happened. Leia had no choice but to follow him.

Half-way to the Main Hall, they ran into a clump of troopers. Leia dodged to the side, pulling Han into an adjoining corridor. The troopers tried to follow, but Han shot them. He turned to Leia. "Where are we?"

Leia glanced around. "Uhh..." She heard more footsteps - _Stars, how many troopers were here?_ \- and raced through a door. "Not important right now. Let's focus on surviving."

"Always a good thing, of course," Han agreed, sound annoyed. "But what about the main hall? We need to get there."

"Nope," Leia replied. " _You_ need to get there. Not me. Suicide mission, remember?"

Han sighed. "As I was going to tell you, before we were so rudely interrupted, it's not a suicide mission. I've seen your hall. I think if we get on that balcony thingie, I can get away."

Leia put her hands on her hips. "And then what'll I do, when you're gone?"

"Uh..." Han looked suddenly sheepish. "I don't know I haven't thought that far out yet."

The princess groaned. Then tensed, as noise started outside. She and Han glanced at each other. They'd been talking for too long. Slowly, they snuck down the corridor. Leia couldn't help noticing how the sounds of fighting were getting louder, instead of fainter, like they should have been. She considered leaving, but she didn't trust herself to be able to fight on her own.

So she would stick with Han until they reached the main hall. Then, she would leave. Let him go get himself killed. Even if his escape plan _did_ work - whatever this plan was - she wasn't about to get abandoned in the middle of a battle.

Yes, that's what she'd do. It was easy enough. Just as soon as they got to th-

Han stuck out his arm so abruptly, Leia almost ran into it. She looked around, instantly nervous. When she saw what the problem was, she went cold.

They had reached the main hall. And it was in chaos.

The main hall was one of the biggest rooms in the palace. It was the place where Leia's parents threw parties, the first room you entered when you visited the palace. It had big double doors, and a huge, purple-carpeted staircase at the back of the room. The front wall was completely covered in elaborate stained-glass windows, depicting images of Alderaan's past. Stretching out across the room was a huge, indoor balcony. For this occasion, the hall had banners hanging from the light fixtures, and tables with food lining the walls.

But now, it was a war-zone.

The marbled floor swarmed with bodies, both living and dead. Everywhere she looked, Leia saw Storm-troopers, struggling with guards and would-be party guests. The banners were ripped, the tables over-turned. Cream puffs and soups spilled out over the dead or wounded. It was a mess, a pit of chaos. Leia's stomach churned, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. Beside her, Han began breathing out every cuss word known to the galaxy.

There was no way they could go out there.

Slowly, Han began to back away, and Leia followed, keeping her head down so she wouldn't be recognized. It was a good thing too, or she would have been shot instantly. Blasts fired over her, and she spun, firing back. There were Storm-troopers advancing from behind, a murderous, shimy swarm of them. Leia shot at them with her own weapon, then dodged to one side. Han yelled something she didn't catch, then grabbed her elbow, dragging her forward.

Straight into the main hall.

Sound and color slammed into her, suddenly more intense then ever. She tried to stop, but Han dragged her forward. It took her a second to realize he was yelling, and another second to realize that he was yelling at her. "For the sake of _, Leia! _Where's the _ door?!"_

Leia blinked. fighting off the impulse to curl into a ball. She tried to speak, and when that didn't work, she gestured toward a door a little way down the wall. It was one of the many doors that lined the walls, and lead to the balcony. Without stopping, Han ran towards it, forcing Leia to follow. She heard footsteps behind them, and shot over her shoulder.

Han wrenched open the door, and shoved Leia inside. He followed behind her, shutting the door again. "Okay," he said, breathing hard. "Okay. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna t-"

Before he could finish, the door behind them began to open. Fear shot through Leia, and she was up like a shot, ramming her body against it. She heard something on the other side fall backward, and she glanced around. Hating the way her voice was shaking, she called, "G-get me something heavy!"

Han looked around wildly, but the small stair-well that they were in held nothing but lights, stairs, and two terrified humans. There was nothing they could use to keep the door shut.

The door shook, as someone tried to knock it down. Leia's shaking fingers found the lock, and she flipped it down. It wouldn't hold the Storm-troopers for long, but it bought them time. Leia released the door, and ran toward the stairs. "Come on!"

Han followed her, speaking quickly into his Communicator. Part-way up the steps, they heard the door began to groan, as it struggled to stay in one piece. Leia reached ahead of her, and found the entranced to the balcony. She glanced back at Han, then flung it open.

And almost walked straight into a group of Storm-troopers.

Leia screamed, and brought the handle of the gun crashing down on the first trooper's head. The others raised their guns, but Han shot at them. Leia grabbed his elbow, and yanked him back toward the stairs, swinging the door shut again. As they stood there, panting, they heard the unmistakable sound of the door at the bottom of the steps being broken in.

" _Man,"_ Han muttered. "I really hate these guys."

Leia silently raised one hand, with three fingers raised. Gripping the door-handle in front of her, she lowered her fingers one by one.

 _Three. Two. One._

On one, she shoved the door open.

The troopers fell back in surprise, as the two of them spilled through, blasters firing. Han shot rapidly, while Leia slammed the door shut. Then her eyes widened, and she screamed, "Han!" The smuggler turned, just in time to avoid a blast to his head.

Unfortunately, it hit his shoulder instead.

Han let out a strangled grunt, and toppled forward. Leia shrieked, and raised her gun, shooting the trooper instantly. She whirled around, trying to decide which one to hit next. She watched as the remaining troopers marched forward. _If they tried to kill Han..._

But the Storm-troopers didn't try to kill Han. In fact, they barely seemed to notice him, stepping smoothly over his prone body. Han, for his part, reached for his blaster, but it has been knocked from his hand, and lay a few feet away.

The troopers kept stepping forward, their weapons raised, forcing Leia to step back. With a chill, she realised that they were doing it on purpose, trapping her. She heard a sound, and spun around. Her throat tightened, as she saw troopers coming up from behind her. She stopped moving, digging in her heels.

The troopers stopped too, slowly making a circle around her.

Leia raised her blaster, trying to stop her hands from shaking. She had never heard of Storm-troopers acting like this. "St-stay away!", she choked out, though there was really no point. The troopers didn't react to it.

" Leia!" Han called, his voice edged with pain. Leia's head snapped towards him, and in that same instant, the troopers moved.

They pressed in on her, fast as lighting. Leia's fingers tightened, and her gun went off. It shot the first few troopers, but that did no good. One of the troopers behind her grabbed her arm, and pressed her wrist, sending her blaster spiraling. Leia spun around, her foot connecting with the trooper's face. It's head bent back, but it didn't let go. Instead, a hand grabbed her leg, stopping it in place. Leia glanced around, panic crawling up her throat, and swung at the nearest shape.

Fortunately, she hit her target. The Storm-trooper's head snapped back, and stumbles backward. Unfortunately, another one grabbed her hand as it came around, and twisted it around behind her. Leia grunted in pain, trying to keep herself from snapping in fear. Since when did troopers act like this? It was like something out of a horror film.

Her attention snapped back to the present, as one of the Storm-troopers moved forward, it's blaster raised. Leia tensed, but the gun wasn't pointed at her. In fact, it was pointed up, off the balcony. She eyed the trooper warily, aware of Han yelling at her in the background. If it wasn't going to shoot her, then why-?

Then the Storm-trooper raised the gun above it's head, and brought the butt of the weapon down on Leia's skull.

* * *

Han could hear someone screaming. It was only when he paused for breath, that he noticed that it was him. His eyes were locked on Leia, as she collapsed, the Storm-troopers releasing her. Not for long, though. As soon as she slumped to the ground, one of the troopers grabbed her, and slung her over one shoulder.

Han moved before he was aware of it. He launched himself across the floor, ignoring the burst pain in his shoulder, and grabbed his gun. As the Storm-troopers turned, he opened fire.

They didn't stand a chance. Han had been killing troopers since he was eleven, and these were no exception. He stumbled to his feet, as the troopers fell, and stumbled over to Leia.

Even as he crouched by her unconscious form, he heard the troopers that they'd left in the stair-way pounding against the door. Even though there was collapsed Storm-trooper lying against it, they still wouldn't have much time.

His hands shaking , and his shoulder throbbing, he pulled his Communicator from his shirt. "Chewbacca. Are you in position?"

His friend answered immediately. "Yeah, but-"

Han cut him off. "Good. Wait for my signal." He turned the Communicator up, and stuck it between his uninjured shoulder and his head. With his other hand, he picked up Leia, ignoring the pain in his other shoulder. Slowly, he stepped backward, his eyes on the door, which was now shaking.

As it trembled for the last time, he yelled, "Chewie! Now!'

And the front wall of the main hall exploded in glass.

There were screams and shouts from below, as glass and wood splinters rained down on the crowd. But most beings were silent, staring up with wide eyes at the huge ship that had burst through the stained-glass windows on the wall. It roared it, its engines spinning, its huge, oval-shaped hull looming over the terrifies fighters. It was dusty and rugged, and utterly overwhelming.

Then, its guns began to fire.

Creatures and Storm-troopers alike dove for cover, as huge shots, meant for space battles, thundered down. A few brave, stupid figures trained their guns on the ship, but it had apsolutly no effect. Han watched, pride rising in his chest. Then, as the door shuttered open a crack, he hollered a command into his Communicator.

With as hiss, the opening hatch on the _Millenium Falcon_ swung opan in mid air, its gang plank descending into opan space. The ship rotated until the gang plank faced the balcony, and hovered there, still firing. Han turned tower's it, and stumbles forward, dropping his Communicater so he could get a better grip on Leia. _Come on, Princess. That's our ride._

Just as the Storm-troopers burst through the door, he leaped off the balcony.

He heard shots behind him, but they didn't touch him. He felt himself loosing momentum, and threw Leia ahead of him. She landed with a thump on the exposed gang plank, and began to slide down it

Han's heart almost stopped. As his hand gripped the plank, he roared, "Chewie! _Raise the _ plank!'_

With a creak, the plank began to go up. Han scrambled up its side, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. Below him, Leia stopped sliding, and tumbled back the way she'd come, until she fell in a heap at the base of the ramp. Han followed, letting the force of gravity take over. He watched the doors close over his head, and he felt himself relax.

Outside, the ship stopped firing. Its engines roared, as it began to back up, flying through the hole it had made. As it reached the sunlight, it began to pick up speed, rising up out of Alderaan's atmosphere, and racing off into space.

Han lay on the floor of the ship, his heart slowly going back to normal. He was home. He was free. He turned his head, and grinned at Leia's crumbled form. He was safe too, he and the prin-.

His eyes opened wide, and terror crawled up his throat. He gazed with horrified eyes on the princess's form, as reality slowly closed in on him.

 _I just kidnapped the princess._


	20. Meeting (Again)

Luke slowly sat back in his seat, and tried very hard not to have a heart attack.

His mind slowly crawled back from fight-or-flight mode, and began to try to sort back through the events that had gotten him into the control seat of a ship's gun.

He remembered watching the form of Alderaan come racing up toward him through the front window of the ship. He remembered hearing the small _bleep_ of the ship's radio, and hearing Han Solo's voice issue forth. He remembered the hurried conversation between Solo and Chewbacca, which ended with the Wookie growling supposedly-insulting words at the radio, and Solo ignoring them. He remembered Chewbacca putting the ship on auto-pilot, and dragging Luke over to another part of the ship, one that contained the controls to one of the ship's guns. He remembered the quick "tutorial" that Chewbacca had given him, which consisted of the Wookie slamming him down into the seat, spinning it around a few times to show how easily it moved, and demonstrating how to fire the gun by setting a tree on fire.

Then, Chewbacca had left him, and Luke had stared through the glass screen, watching the palace of Alderaan come up towards them. He remembered noting how many small ships were posted outside, ones with the Empire's sign emblazoned on the side. And he remembered thinking that they were getting a bit too close to the famous stained-glass wall of the palace, and why weren't they pulling up?

He definitely remembered crashing through the wall, because he had instinctively tried to dive for cover, and had ended up spinning upside-down for a few terrifying moments.

But the thing he remembered most was Chewbacca's roar through the ship's intercom, and his startled hand coming down on the button. The bolts of energy that flew from the gun, zapping people that stood too close. Luke closed his eyes, remembering. It wasn't that he hated fighting. Back on Tatooine, he'd gotten into his fair share of wrestling matches, and had even won a few of them.

But he had never killed before.

Weakly, he told himself that he hadn't exactly been the best shot. Most people had ran for cover, and they were fast. He probably hadn't killed anyone.

Probably.

Luke still didn't know why Chewbacca had finally left the palace, although he wasn't really complaining. Still, maybe it was time to check things out. Trying to stop himself from trembling, he slid out of his seat, thanked the ground for not moving, and stumbled toward the door.

Man, he _really_ needed to work on his courage.

As he reached the doorway, he heard pounding foot-steps moving down the corridor. After a second, Chewbacca thundered by, fur flying. Luke watched him run, then followed at a much slower pace. As he reached the place around the door of the _Millennium Falcon,_ he heard voices.

"...and perfect timing, by the way," a person was saying. "Here, take her. Don't stare, take her! Yeah, I know. I know. For the love of space, Chewie, she's hurt! Stop asking stupid questions, and take her to the infirmary! I will explain later!"

Luke had to flatten himself against the wall, as Chewbacca galloped past again, this time carrying something in his arms. Luke tried to get a glimpse, but all he saw was a pale arm sticking out from behind the Wookie's massive back. Then Chewbacca was gone, and Luke was left wondering about what he had seen. Why would Han Solo take someone with him? He didn't really seem like the hostage type.

And speaking of Han Solo...

Luke walked slowly into the corridor that passed by the ship's door, and glanced down at the person on the floor. Was this him? It certainty _looked_ like him, if the reports were to be believed. The person that lay on the floor of the ship was a human male, with brown hair, and pale skin. His eyes were closed, but Luke was pretty sure that they were brown too. He looked about 16 or 17, but he might just be tall for his age.

Hesitantly, Luke stepped forward, and squatted down beside the person. The person grunted slightly, and opened his eyes. They were brown.

"Oh hi," said Han Solo. "You must be that Skywalker kid."

Luke didn't know what else to do. He nodded.

"Don't you know it's not polite to stare?"

Embarrassed, Luke glanced away. Han laughed. "It's alright," he said. "I understand. Creatures aren't always in the presence of someone as magnificent as myself." Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw Han spread his arms, then wince. "Go ahead. Stare away."

"Oh no, it's not that." Luke studied his hands, trying to figure out what his mouth was doing. After a moment, he said shyly, "it's just that, I, uh, don't usually meet people with heads as big as yours, so I struggle to, er, figure it out."

Han stared at him for a moment. Then, a grin spread across his face. "You little...Here." He held out his hand. "Stop crouching there like an idiot, and help me up."

Luke took the hand, and got to his feet. Han stumbled up after him, and rubbed his shoulder, wincing. "Space, you're strong. Be careful."

"Sorry," Luke muttered. He glanced at Han's shoulder, but the smuggler covered it with his hand. "Uh, are you okay."

The other boy waved a hand dismissively. "Eh. I'll be fine." He started walking down the hall, toward the cock-pit. "Don't tell Chewie, okay? He'll freak out."

Trying to imagine Chewbacca "freaking out", Luke trailed Han down the corridor. Han didn't say anything until they got to the cock-pit entrance, but then he turned. "And where do you think you're going?"

Luke shrugged awkwardly. "Um, I don't know."

Han pushed open the door. "Well find something to do. I don't have time to baby-sit you." Annoyed, Luke started to say something, but Han slipped by too quickly, and he was left staring at the door.

As he stood there, he heard Han turn on the intercom. "Hey, Chewie, where are you?...Well get over here. I need to fly this baby...What do you mean, do it on your own?...Yes I know, and I'm very grateful. But I can't very well fly this thing by myself. You know that."

There was a pause, as Han listened for Chewbacca's answer. Then he laughed. "Uh huh. It seems you've forgotten this fact, so let me spell it out for you: the only way a ship like this can be flown is with two pilots. Unless, of course, you use the hyper-drive, but we can't do that."

Pause. Then another laugh. "Listen, fur-brain you remember that _last_ time we used the hyper-drive? Do you _want_ to be bald again? I don't think so...No, of course it's not fixed. You and I both know how much money it costs to fix something like..."

Han trailed off, and Luke strained his ears, trying to figure out what was being said. Finally, Han snorted. "Yeah, right. I know he's smart, but according to my information, he's self-taught. You can't self-teach yourself to fix a hyper-drive. Stop being a smart-ass, and- _hang on._ "

This last part was spoken with more urgency then the rest. A beeping noise had started in the cock-pit, the signal that something had been picked up on the radar. Han made some shuffling noises then cursed. After a moment, Luke heard the sound of engines warming up. Han's voice started again, this time underlined by fear. "Okay, fine, we'll use the hyper-drive. The Empire's coming. But if I loose more toes, because of this, I'm gonna t-"

The ship jolted under Luke's feet. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it was accompanied by the sensation that all the air was being sucked away from his body. He stumbled backward, and fell into the side of the ship. Around him, the _Millennium Falcon_ seemed to shift and blur together.

But just as it had started, it was over. Luke blinked, and tried to control the sudden sense of vertigo that swept over him. In front of him, there was complete silence from the cock-pit.

Then Han muttered, "Where's that mechanic..." There was a clattering noise, as he pushed away from his seat, his voice rising. "Skywalker! Where the _ are you?" Suddenly, nervous, Luke stepped back.

The door flew open, and Han stood there. His eyes fixed on Luke, and he walked forward, grabbed Luke by the front of his tunic, and dragged him down the hall. Luke stumbled along, trying to keep up, his mind racing. _What had he done wrong? What was going to happen?_

Han headed straight for the room that held the ship's engines, along with other various mechanical parts. With his free hand, he wrenched the door open, wincing a little as he did so. With his other, he shoved Luke inside. Luke stepped back, trying to stop his heart from pounding. Han strode in after him, not bothering to close the door. Luke watched him nervously, as the smuggler looked around, then walked quickly toward one part of the room.

The room in particular was covered from ceiling to floor with wires and circuits, and some of the most shoddy mechanics imaginable. It was the room where Luke had spent most of his time. Now, Han crouched by one particular section, his brow furrowed. He hurriedly beckoned Luke over. "You. Tell me what you did here."

Nervously, Luke approached, kneeling down beside Han. "What?"

"You heard me." Han gestured furiously to the mess of wires and lights. "Tell me what you did."

So Luke did, hesitantly recounting all he could remember about his process. He remembered finding this place, during one of his lunch breaks. From what Chewbacca had gestured about it, he had guessed that it wasn't of much importance. Still, it had looked interesting, so he'd started working on it. It hadn't taking him long to figure out that it was a hyper-drive, and an even shorter amount of time to discover what was wrong. It had been one heck of a challenge to fix, but he had enjoyed it.

Halfway through his explanation, Han raised his hands. 'Stop. I don't understand a word you're saying.

"Um, sorry?"

Han stared at him for a moment, his face unreadable. "Sorry? You're _sorry_?" With a sudden movement, he jumped to his feet, and ran to another part of the room, running his hands over the mechanics. "You're _sorry?_ Why the _ are you _sorry?"_ He raced to another part, then leaped back again, too full of energy to stay still. Luke watched him, mouth open.

Han's eyes were alight, as he gazed around. " _Look,_ Skywalker. Look at what you've done! Look at my ship! I don't think it's worked this good since I first stole it! Oh space!" He whirled around , and grabbed Luke by his shoulders, pulling him to his feet. "I could kiss you right now!"

Luke blushed.

A thumping noise startled them both, and they turned to find Chewbacca standing in the doorway. Han let go of Luke, and skipped forward. "Chewie! Have you seen this place? It's a miracle!"

Chewbacca growled happily. Then his tone changed, and he grabbed Han by the arm. Han hissed in pain, as the Wookie pulled on his injured shoulder. Chewbacca took no notice, and inspected the wound. Then he glared at his friend.

Han looked down, suddenly looking sheepish. "Hey what can I say? I had more important things to do then care for- hey! Let go!"

Chewbacca ignored him, and continued dragging Han out the door, in the direction of the room that passed for a medical bay. Luke could hear Han's protests fading away, as the smuggler fruitlessly tried to free himself from his friend's iron grip. Even when the room was mostly silent - because mechanics were never truly silent - Luke kept standing where Han had left him, slowly thinking about the past events.

This day had not gone the way he'd expected.


	21. Explanation

"Hello," said Han, as Leia opened her eyes. "This is not what it se-."

That was as far as he got, before Leia's hand flew up, and punced him in the face. He stumbled back, cursing, and holding his hand to his nose. Leia tried to leap up, but her head spun, and she almost fell down again.

"Careful," Han said, his voice muffles by his hand. "You hit you head. Given that you haven't fully healed, I'd suggest that-."

Leia spun one of her legs around, catching him in the stomach. Han gasped, winded, and doubled over. Leia slid out of the bes that she'd been lying in, and crouched on the floor, staring around her. She was in a small metal room, with a bed, a table, and a door, leading out into a corridor. There was an open medical kit on the table, one that was issued to ships and schools.

Nearby, Han stopped coughing, and straightened up. Leia spun around, and slammed him roughly against the wall. Han tried to throw her off, but Leia grabbed his wrists, and twisted his arms into uncomfortable positions. Ignoring the pounding in her skull, she glared right into his face. "Where am I?'

Han groaned. "Jeez, Princess, you could have asked." Leia noticed that one of his shoulders was wrapped in a bandage, but she only half-cared. She twisted his arms further.

"Fine," Han growled. "I don't care if you're a girl." Then he brought his knee up toward Leia's stomach. Leia dodged away, but she had to let go of Han to do so. Han leaped away from the wall. Slowly, the two circled each other.

Han's hands were up, but he was tense. "Leia. Stop. Calm down. Let's talk about this. Like I said, it's n-." Leia lunged at him, and he was forced to stop talking, in an effort to ward her off. He tried to swing at her, but she leaped backward again, as graceful as a dancer.

Wait, what?

Han blinked, trying to figure out what had just run through his mind. But he snapped back to the present, as Leia's hand darted backward, and grabbed a syringe from the open medical kit. She saw Han's eyes widen. "Woah. Hey. Put that down."

Leia crouched, her eyes wild. She pressed the syringe against her palm, the needle pointing up, and leaped toward Han. Han yelled something, and stumbled backward, his hands raised over his face, although they both knew that it wouldn't help.

Leia had almost made it across the room, when something wrapped around her waist, yanking her backward. She thrashed, trying to stab whatever it was with the needle, but it didn't work. A huge hand grabbed the syringe, and pulled it from her grasp, sending it hurtling across the room. Desperately, Leia kicked out, but she found herself lifted off the ground. An arm, covered with thick brown hair, pinned her arms to her sides. She was helpless.

Slowly, Han straightened, watching Leia carefully. He whiped the back of his hand across his forhead. "Thanks Chewie. I needed that."

Leia blinked, confused. Then she jumped, as something behind her growled. Swinging her head around, she came face to face with a literal wall of fur. She tipped her face up, and spotted the face of a young Wookie.

 _Oh._

Leia had heard about Han Solo's Wookie friend. She just hadn't given it much thought. Now the prices fell into place. The Wookie must be holding her back. She just hadn't heard him come in.

Han walked forward. "Okay. Leia. Here's how it works. I didn't kidnap you." He paused. "Okay, maybe I did a little bit, but not for, like, ransom or anything. I wanted to keep you safe, see, and - Chewie! Stop laughing!"

Leia's body started shaking, as the Wookie - Chewie - began laughing. He growled out something, and Han rolled his eyes. "Shut it, you. Would you rather she have gotten shot?" He turned back to Leia. "Look, what do you remember about the fight?"

Frowning, Leia searched her memory. "There were Storm-troopers," she said, slowly. A shiver went down her spin as she remembered the trooper's odd behavior. "They were attacking us. They knocked me out." She turned her accusing eyes on Han. "Then you kidnapped me."

Han groaned. "Again with the kidnapping thing. Look, princess, the whole thing was an accident. I had too much adrenalin going, and I didn't realize that I'd taken you until it was too late. I guess..." He trailed off, and looked at the ground. After a second, he said, "I thought they were going to kill you. The troopers, I mean."

Leia raised her eyebrows, trying to appear like this confession didn't affect her. In reality, though, she was pleasantly surprised. _Did he just say that he saved my life? That he cares whether I live or die?_ Aloud, she said, "How cute."

Han glared. "Don't make me regret it, your Highness. As soon as it's safe to return, Chewie and I are taking you back. Which reminds me." He gestured grandly in her direction. "Meet my co-pilot, Chewbacca. Let her go, Chewie."

The arm around Leia's waist abruptly let her go, and she dropped to the ground. She spun around, and trained her eyes on the huge Wookie. He held out one enormous hand to her, and she flinched back. The Wookie sighed, and waited. After a second, when nothing happened, Leia warily took the giant, furry paw.

"Aw," Han said, earning a glare from both Leia and Chewbacca. Snickering, he walked to the door-way, and yelled. "Hey Skywalker! Get over here!" He turned back to Leia. "You should probably meet the other passenger on this ship."

Before Leia could react, the familiar face of Luke Skywalker appeared around the door. His eyes opened wide when he saw Leia, and his mouth dropped open. Leia was just as shocked. " _Luke?_ What in space are you doing here!?"

Han slung an arm around Luke's shoulders. "This here is my mechanic. You were right, Leia, he _is_ a genius. Also, _he's_ the kidnapped one, not you."

"Y-you mean that _you_ were the one that-?"

"Yup." Han gave a little bow. "Well, technically, Fuzzy-Wuzzy over there did all the work, but it was my idea. I needed a mechanic, and you did say he was good."

"Oh _stars."_ Leia closed her eyes. "You're saying that I...Oh _stars_. Luke, I'm so sorry. I'm the one that told him about you."

Luke shrugged awkwardly. "It's alright," he muttered. "It's not that bad here. And it's kind of fun." Leia looked at him, surprised, while Han burst out laughing.

Before any of them could say anything else, a screeching noise erupted through the ship's speaker system. Leia flinched, and both Luke and Chewbacca covered their ears. Han jumped, then cursed. "Oh please," he muttered. "Not now."

"What?" Leia asked, shouting to be heard above that awful noise. "What's going on?"

Instead of answering, Han bolted from the room, ignoring the protests from behind him. He raced through the ship, and burst into the cock-pit. Sinking down into his seat, he glanced out the front window, and swore. Then he straightened his hair, mopped his brow, and tried to look as calm as possible. Swallowing, he pressed the _Accept call_ button blinking on his dash-board.

Turning to face the small holo-gram that popped up, he said, "Hey there, Jabba."


	22. Jabba

Han sat in his pilot seat, distractedly imagining the alien he was talking to.

There was the same ugly face, the same rolls of fat, and the same slimy, green body. There was the same set of beady black eyes, the same cracky voice, and the same tiny, dirty, evil, stupid brain, inside that squashed head. Han imagined the hideous Hutt stared down at him, lips parted in a grotesque smile. "Solo," he rumbled. "Finally I hear from you."

'Yeah, well." Han ran his fingers through his thick, brown hair, attempting casualness. "You know. I did kind of get arrested, and it's hard to contact people from prison."

Jabba laughed throatily. "Yes, that was very funny. The great Han Solo, captured by those weaklings that run the Alderaan guard. Everyone here had a good laugh about it."

Han gritted his teeth, annoyed. "I'd already been in a fight with bounty hunters. Obviously, my ship was slightly compromised. If I'd been in full power, I'd have sh-."

"Yes, yes," Jabba said. Han could just imagine the other waving one of his puny hands dismissively. "We all know you would have made some daring escape, and whatnot. But tell me, Solo. What about our deal.

Han swallowed "Oh yes. That."

"Well? Were you successful?"

"Um..." Han drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, glad that his ship had only a radio, and not one of those newfangled holo-messegers. "Well, you see, there were some slight difficulties, and I found it quite hard to-"

Jabba cut him off with a cough. Apparently, one of his aids was trying to teach him manners. "Really? The smuggler _I_ know wouldn't be hindered by ''slight difficulties.' Must I remind you of our deal, Solo?"

Han sighed. No, he didn't need reminding. He had thought about said deal all the time,since the day he'd stupidly agreed to it. He'd thought about it during those sleepless nights in the Alderaan prison. He'd thought about it when he'd first met Leia. And he'd thought about it almost constantly, as he sat by Leia's bed, waiting for her to wake up.

But it wouldn't matter to Jabba. Even now, the Hutt was starting to speak. "You know that a few months ago, you came crying to me about how you had run out of money, and you need more, and _ like that. So of course, out of the goodness of my heart, I decided to help you. All you had to do was some little favor that wouldn't be such a bother to you anyways. You remember what that was, Solo?"

Yes, Han remembered. How could he forget?

"All you had to do," Jabba continued, " was kidnap Princess Leia of Alderaan, and you could have all the money you asked for. Wasn't that right?"

Numbly, Han muttered, "Yes. That's right."

"So." Jabba's voice was calm and persice. "Where's my princess?"

"Well." Han swallowed, and took a deep breath. "That's the thing. I wasn't able to get her.'

" Really?"

"Yup." Han did his best to seem disappointed. "Did you know she takes self-defense? She's as strong as a Tantan, and as fast as one too. Why the hell do you even want her, anyways?'"

"Oh, you know." Jabba's voice was light and casual. "She's loved very much by her parents, and her parents happen to be very rich. Also," he added, as if in an afterthought, "she's very beautiful."

Red hot anger shot through Han so suddenly, he had to grip the control board to steady himself. All he could think about was charging straight into Jabba's ship, and wringing his fat, ugly neck. How dare that basted talk about Leia that way? How dare he even think about her?

As Han struggled to control this sudden, unexplainable fury, he heard Jabba's voice again. "Funny thing," the Hutt was saying. "I tapped into the Alderaan news feed, and you wouldn't believe what I heard."

Han was suddenly tense. "What did you hear?'

"Well," Jabba said, "it's very appears to me that, in the middle of a party, some big ship just swooped down, and snached up the princess. Isn't that strange?"

Han's mouth was suddenly very dry.

"Also," the Hutt continued, "according to the newscasters, the ship in question was an out-of-date Falcon model that had been discontinued a few years ago."

Han didn't reply.

"Now," Jabba siad slowly. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going to give me that girl, and then you're going to get lost. If you don't, I will blast you into oblivion. Are we clear?'

Through parched lips, Han whispered, " Yes sir."

"Good. I expect a delivery in 15 minutes." And with those words, Jabba shut his radio off.

In the silence that followed, Han turned in his seat to face Chewbacca, who had silently come up behind him while he'd been talking. The two friends stared at each other for a long moment, unspoken words passing between them.

Finally, Han said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Chewie was already turning around. "I'll get the guns ready."


	23. Swivel Function

Leia stopped Han as he ran down the corridor. "Alright, Solo. Tell me what's going on."

Han sighed. He did not have time for this. "Look, your Highness, I'm kind of busy right now. Can this wait?"

"Nope."

Han tried to pull away from her, but Leia's grip was like iron. "Okay, look," he snapped, exasperated. "I'm trying to make sure you don't get captured, and taken to your doom. Are you happy?"

The princess considered this. "Is the Empire here?"

"Erm..." Han was suddenly nervous. "Well, uh, no, not exactly. Can I please tell you later? I'm very busy."

Reluctantly, Leia let him go. This did not stop her from trailing him down the hall. "If it's not the Empire, who is it?" When Han ignored her, she stepped in front of him. "Han. This is important."

Han glared at her, but when she didn't back down, he reluctantly replied, "Let's just say that some of my 'friends' are dying to meet you. Now leave me alone. Don't you have anything better to do?"

Leia shook her head, suddenly angry. "Nope. Not a thing. You tell Luke to get the engines ready, and you tell that Wookie to get in the cockpit, but you don't give me one thing to do!"

"Well, sorry," Han snapped back. "I don't exactly _have_ anything fo- no, hang on." He paused, considering, then grabbed Leia's arm. "Come on."

She made a noise of protest, but didn't struggle, as Han pulled her along the corridor. They reached a narrow door, which Han opened with a flourish. He bowed dramatically. "After you, your Worship."

Leia smiled sweetly at him, "Why thank you, good sir." She stepped daintily into the small room, smirking at Han's annoyed growl.

The room in question was cramped and rectangular. A strange chair sat in the middle of the room, attached to a strange device. The front of the room was made of glass, giving a very nice view of outer space. Han pushed past her, and padded the seat of the chair. "Step right up, step right up. And mind the swivel function."

Confused, Leia sat down in the chair. Her confusion disappeared instantly, as it gave a heart-stopping tilt to the side. She gave a very embarrassing sqeak, and gripped the edge of the chair. Han snorted, and reached across her. "Buckle up, your Highness. It gets worse." He pulled the elastic straps over her chest, and fastened them securely to their buckles. "Now take your hands off your seat, and grab that thing in front of you."

Reluctantly, Leia pried her hands off the chair, and wrapped them around the strange device in front of her. It was long and clunky, and part of it stuck out into space. She glanced at Han, digging her toes into the ground to stop the chair from moving. "W-what is this?"

"It's a gun." Han gestured to the button in the center of the device. "Tilt your seat to aim, and press this to fire."

Leia gulped at the thought of making the chair spin again. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Nope!", Han said enthusiastically. He grinned at her. "Hey, you said you wanted something to do. But, of course, if you're too scared, I could-"

Leia glared at him, her hands tightening around the gun controls. "I can do it."

Han held up his hands, and backed away. "Okay, okay. Shoot at the little ships, not the big one. Yes, I know you can't see anything now, but you will when I turn this thing. Clear?" Nervously, Leia nodded, and Han grinned. "Good. I'll see you later."

He disappeared, and Leia was left to control her thundering heart. _I can do this. I can do this._ She started, as the chair shifted again, but shoved her fear back down. She watched the stars nervously, as the ship began to turn.

Slowly, a huge, hulking spacecraft came into veiw. It wasn't as big as the Empire's ships, but it was still enormous. Leia moistened her lips, and tightened her grip on the gun. When was she supposed to shoot? Han hadn't said what the sta-.

Suddenly, something on top of the huge ship began to move. Leia only had time to register that it was a gun, and it was pointed at her, when it fired.

There was a whining noise, and the room shook. Leia couldn't help but scream, as her stupid chair lurched wildly, swinging her almost in a full circle. Before she could collect herself, another blast hurtled towards them. For one heart-stopping moment, Leia was turned completely upside down. Then she was back where she'd started, swinging wildly back and forth, her chest heaving.

Another shot rocked the ship. Leia dug in her toes, suddenly furious. How dare they fire at her? She, the princess of Alderaan. And how dare she just let herself swivel around in circles, like some helpless coward? It wasn't like she didn't know how to shoot at gun.

She turned the chair herself this time, aiming the gun at the opposing one. She fired, and grinned in satisfaction, as something nearby blew up. She hadn't taken out the gun - she wasn't _that_ good - but she'd done something.

Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, Leia leaned forward. _Okay, jerks. You want to capture me? Fine. Be ready to pay the price._


	24. Space Battle

"Solo!"

In the cockpit, Han paused to consider how many times he had heard that name screamed at him from a furious employer. Or a furious victim. Or a furious anybody. It was interesting really, that everyone seemed to think that that name was insulting. Maybe they just though it was awesome, although why they would consider that when they wanted to kill him was beyond him. Maybe they just-.

"SOLO!"

Han jumped as the sound shot through his radio again. With a weary sigh, he clicked the button that would allow him to speak as well. "Hey, would you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to think philosophical thoughts."

 **"SOLO!"**

Han rolled his eyes. "Yes?"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Um, let me see." Han put a finger to his chin. "Well, I'm not sure, but I think I'm running away."

"Why you despicable little... _human!"_ Han could practically hear Jabba swelling with anger. "How dare you lie to me! How dare you run from me! How dare y-"

With a flick of his finger, Han shut the radio off, wondering why he'd turned it on in the first place. As he sat in the pilot's chair, he glanced at Chewie, who was sitting beside him. "Well, what do you think? Should we run?"

The Wookie shrugged. "We could. He's faster though."

"True. And stronger. But we do have the hyper-drive."

Chewbacca rolled his eyes. "Han, you know that won't work. It still needs to cool down from the last time. It's fixed, but it's still weak."

Han cursed. "I though Luke was working on it."

"He is. But it take time, especially without proper tools." Chewie saw Han glance at him, and the Wookie grinned. "Quoted from the source."

Han groaned, and flopped back in his chair. With one hand, he began to turn the ship. "Well, he'd better hurry. We can try to hold Jabba off, but I don't know how long that'll w-"

The rest of his words were cut off as two blasts slammed into the ship, one after the other, making the whole place shake. Han sat up hurriedly, cursing. Beside him, Chewie pushed buttons, throwing up the _Millennium Falcon's_ shields. "Get up, Solo. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Han frowned at him. "Why did you cal me Solo? I thought only my enemies called me that."

Chewbacca gave his friend an odd look. Before he could say anything, though, the ship rocked again, and both of them reached for the controls. "I put Leia on the gun down the hall," Han muttered. "Why doesn't she do something?"

As if on cue, something blew up outside.

Han craned his neck to see what had happened, as Chewbacca laughed. "Speak of the Sith," he snorted. Then, after a second: "What did she hit?"

"She hit the _ gun!" Han sat back, stunned. "Well, she was close anyways. Really close. _, man, do you know how far away that was?"

"I have my guesses." Chewbacca reached for a switch on the panel. "Did you give her a head-set?"

"Agh!" Han smacked his forehead. "No."

Chewbacca raised his eye-brows. Or at least, Han thought he did, (Chewbacca's eye-brows had become one with his face a long time ago.) "Really? She seems to have one."

Confused, Han hit the switch the Wookie had reached for. "Hello? Leia?"

"Hi there, Solo. What's going on?"

"Why the _ does everyone call me Solo? I have a name!"

"Uh..." Leia was baffled for a moment. Apparently, she decided to ignore this odd comment, because she said, "Are you going to answer my question?"

"Sure." Han ran his hands through his hair, trying to collect himself. "Er, how are you doing? And how did you make that shot?"

Back in the gun seat, Leia shrugged. "I'm a good shot, that's all. I have a lot of practice. Um, hang on." She tilted her chair, and shot down a small, deadly-looking ball out of space. "So what do I do?"

"Just, uh, do whatever you're doing now." Han turned back to the control board. "Okay Chewie, what's that plan."

Chewbacca glanced at him. "I though _you_ were coming up with that."

"Oh. Uh..." Han checked a small screen on the board. "How long until the hyper-drive is in full power."

"About 15 minutes."

Han took a deep breath. "Okay then." He squared his shoulders. "Well then. Let's survive until then."

"That's your plan?"

"Yup."

Chewbacca sighed. "I hate your plans.

* * *

Jabba oozed back and forth, his tiny hands clenched. _Damn_ that Han Solo! That arragent little child thought he could get away with this, did he? Spinning around, the slug-like alien lashed out at one of his pilots. "You! Get the guns ready!"

The pilot nodded. "Yes sir." She pressed a button on the dashboard, and the Hutt's ship fired at the _Falcon._ This disk-shaped spacecraft shuddered as the blast hit it. Another shot hit it again, producing the same effect. Jabba's lips cured back into a smile. _Yes. Good._

Another shot. Jabba chuckled. This was too easy. It was like they weren't even trying. Maybe he should try to contact Solo again. He was certain that spineless idiot would be begging for mercy now.

Then the _Falcon_ fired.

The sound of an explosion rocked the ship. Jabba was rocked from side to side, his huge body quivering from the shock-waves. His mouth opened and closed, as his pilots raced around, trying to figure out what had happened.

 _What the _ was that?_

Jabba oozed to the window, and looked out. He knew that all old-model _Falcons_ required two people to pilot. There was no way Solo and his flea-carrying friend could fire the guns without flying the ship. And the ship _was_ flying. Jabba could see it trying to get away. That was why he hadn't bothered to put the shield's up - he'd known there'd been no point.

So how had that happened? There was nobody else on the ship that Jabba knew about, save the princess, of course. And it couldn't have been her. Females couldn't even shoot guns, much less aim them like that. So that meant that the-

"Sir." A human guard stood at attention. "What do we do?"

"What do you think, idiot?" Jabba spun around impatiently. "Attack them! Now!"

"Yes sir." The guard turned back to the others. "Fire the space-pods."

* * *

Leia slowly spun her gun back and forth, her eyes in slits. So far, Han's "friends" hadn't retaliated, after she'd hit them. She grinned as she recalled Han's words, spoken with the utmost disbelief. _How did you make that shot?_ In truth, it hadn't been that hard. In fact, she used to have a terrible aim. She'd just worked on it. A lot.

Her hands tightened on the gun controls, as she spotted movement near the big ship. Five small space-pods were flying toward her, weaving in and out between each other. As Leia watched, they spread out. Two flew around toward the sides of the _Falcon_ , and two flew towards the top and bottom. The fifth one flew straight towards her, small guns coming out from it's interior, and peppered her window with small blue shots.

Leia tapped the edge of the head-set she'd grabbed from the wall, then gripped her controls tightly. "Um, Han. Do you see-?"

"Yup." Han's voice was tight, and Leia felt the ship begin to move. "Just shoot at them when they get into view, and don't let them get within 5 yards of us."

"Right." Leia watched the view outside change, as the _Falcon_ began to maneuver. She aimed at the nearest space-pod, and fired, but it was too fast. It merely rolled away, and continued on course. Annoyed, Leia shot again, moving her chair faster this time, and managed to take off one of it's guns. For a moment, she was happy. Then she saw the second pod coming up on her left, and her happiness disappeared. She fired at it, but it dodged.

Han's voice spoke in her ear. "Why aren't you doing anything?"

"I am!" Leia was annoyed. "They're too fast."

"Well then, be faster!" Han sounded angry too. "For the love of Mike, Princess, you're strapped in! Don't be afraid to fling your chair around!"

Leia's heart thundered at the prospect. She was about to say she couldn't, but she then caught the end of Han's sentence. With a biting tone, he muttered, almost to himself, "Don't be soft."

Anger rose up Leia's throat. Words pushed up towards her mouth, but she swallowed them back down. Instead, she jerked her gun around, ignoring the way her stomach rolled uncomfortably. The tiny space-pod dodged away from her, but Leia swung down, following the curve of it's maneuver. She hit the fire button with more venom then she meant, and felt a warm bubble of satisfaction rise inside her as the pod exploded.

Han's voice came back on, sounding awed. "Well _that_ was quick. How did you do that?"

Leia smirked. "Why do you care? You jealous, or something?" She heard Han start to reply, anger rising to his lips, and added, "Hang on. I'm busy."

"Jeeze, your Highness, don't get a big head, or anything," Han muttered, but he shut up. Leia focused on the next pod, her hand's clenched. _C'mon. C'mon. Just a little closer..._

The pod dropped a missile.

Leia pulled back, startled. Over the radio, she heard Han curse. "Shoot it! Shoot it, damn you!"

"Well, you don't need to talk to me like that!" Her initial shock over, Leia shot the missile down easily. "What are you so worried about? It's just one missile."

There was short pause. Then Han said furiously, "How did you _do_ that? It takes me _10_ _minutes_ to hit those little _, and you just..." He trailed off, and Leia laughed.

A clattering on her windshield brought her back to the present, and she whipped her gun around. She gave a little shriek as she noticed that the pod that had shot the missile had come up much quicker then she'd anticipated. She swung the gun around, intending to hit it, but ended up whacking it with the end of the gun instead. The pod spiraled off, and Leia couldn't help letting out a whoop of delight.

Han snickered, then cursed. Leia's chair was jerked to the side, as the ship swung violently around. At the same time something started beeping faintly. It took Leia a moment to realize that the noise was coming from the cock-pit. "What's going on?"

Han didn't answer. Chewbacca roared at her, but Leia couldn't speak Wookie. She turned back to the view outside, and watched as it tipped dizzily upward. Suddenly panicked, she gripped the ground with her toes. "Han Solo, are you turning this thing upside down?!"

Finally, he answered her, his voice dripping with annoyance. "Why yes, your Highness, I am. Now shut up and shoot."

Leia's cheeks burned with indignation. She heard Chewbacca growl something, maybe an apology for his friend's rude behavior. Still furious, she glared at the screen, and saw the metal form of a space-pod coming up toward her, it's blaster whirring. She shot at it, and it reeled backward. Then it righted herself, and fired back at her.

The metal beneath Leia's hands vibrated, just as something whizzed past below her. Her chair rolled to the side, turning her upside down. Frowning, she tried to tilt back, but nothing happened.

She tried again, panic rising.

Nothing.

 _Oh stars._

Struggling to keep her voice calm, Leia muttered, "H-han?"

It took a moment, before he snapped, "What?"

"I-I thing something's broken. My chair's upside-down, and I can't move it back."

There was a silence. Then Han said, sound a lot more concerned then he had a moment before, "Are you alright? Can you still shoot?"

"Y-yes." Leia swallowed, and tried not to look down. "O-on both counts."

"Okay." Han seemed to be trying to collect himself. "If you see a pod, shoot that _ out of the air, and stay calm. I'll get Luke over there for you." His voice faded away a little, as he moved away from the control board. "Hey Skywalker! Get your head out of the engine room, and check on Leia. She's in the gun room. Move!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia spotted the space-pod lurking in the side of her vision. It was slowly trying to sneak around toward the cock-pit. Voice low, even though she knew the thing couldn't hear her, she said, "Hey, Chewbacca? Can you steer the ship up and to the left, please?"

There was a conforming growl, and the ship began to tilt. Leia slammed her hand down on the fire button, and the pod blew up, sending pieces of debris spiraling off into space. One hit her windshield, and another bounced off the hull. Han didn't say anything, though, so he either didn't notice, or didn't care.

Behind her, the door slid open, and footsteps rushed in. Luke's worried face appeared by her ear. "What happened?"

"Something hit something else, I think." Leia saw Luke's confused expression, and her patience began to stretch. "Look, I don't know, okay? That's up for you to figure out!"

Luke raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, then knelt down by the gun controls. "Calm down, Leia. I think it's just stuck. I can't fix it without going outside, though. Do you think you can live for now?"

"No!" Leia's voice came out in an unintended squeak, betraying how panicked she was. She took a deep breath, and muttered, "S-sorry. I think I can."

Luke smiled at her. "Okay. Um..." He glanced at his wrist, and Leia noticed some kind of scrappy-looking holo-watch. "We have about 5 minutes until the hyper-drive can work again, and then we'll be out of here."

Leia nodded, and attempted a shaky smile. She focused back at the scene outside, and shot at a pod coming her way. It dodged, but the blast grazed its side, and it spiraled out into the distance. A smile touched Luke's lips. "Hey, nice shot."

She couldn't help grinning, then. "Why does everybody think I'm so good at this. There are people back at Alderaan who are much better then I am."

Before Luke could reply, the ship tilted suddenly. Luke stumbled, as the floor under him lurched. Leia's head spun. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the pods ramming itself against the side of the ship, just out of reach of Leia's gun. Before she could open her mouth, though, she heard the engines roar. The _Falcon_ spun in a circle, and raced away, sending the tiny pod spiraling.

Leia glanced up (err, down). "You alright, Luke?"

He groaned. "Yup. Just some bruises."

Relieved, Leia was about to answer, when Han spoke in her ear. "Hey, um, princess. Would it be alright with you if we tried something?"

Leia narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "What would that be, exactly?"

Han took a deep breath. "We're going to try to hyper-jump without the hyper-drive being fully charged."

"What!? Is that even safe?"

"Maybe?" Han sounded pleading. "Come on Leia, I don't know how long we can stop them."

"But.." Leia wanted to say that they seemed to be doing fine. But then she noticed the big ship start moving towards them, and trailed off. She really didn't like the look of the strange machine coming out of it's side. Reluctantly, she muttered, "Okay."

"Good." In the cock-pit, Han glanced at Chewbacca, his hand poised over the leaver. "You ready, man?"

Chewie nodded. Han took a deep breath, and flipped the switch.

* * *

 **Darkness. Light. Pain. Numbness. Colors. Swirling. Around and around.**

 **Which way is up? Which way is down? What planet is this? Which dimension is this? Which person is this?**

 _ **"I know who you are, young one. I know what you're running from. I know they've lied to you."**_

 **Why is this happening? What is happening? Where is everyone? Why did this happen? Which me am I?**

 _ **"You can't hide, sweet prince, you can't hide from the truth."**_

 **This way is up. This way is down. This is my planet. This is my dimension.**

 _ **"What is this? You push away? You silly little thing."**_

 **This person is me. This me is I.**

 _ **"Even your father couldn't run away."**_

* * *

Luke shot up with a gasp, his heart pounding. The world around him spun crazily. His stomach churned, and before he could stop himself, he threw up, all over Han's nice metal floor.

 _Oops._

"Hey, Luke."

Luke around. Sitting next to him was Leia. She looked pale, and sweat stained her clothes. Luke frowned at her, as something occurred to him."Hey, aren't you supposed to be strapped into the gun seat?"

Leia considered this. "That's true. Aren't we supposed to be in the gun room?"

Surprised, Luke looked around. The two of them were sitting on the floor of the corridor that stretched through the _Millennium Falcon._ It took Luke only a moment to figure out what had happened. "It was probably the hyper-drive. It wasn't fully charged, so things got...screwy."

"Ah." Leia closed her eyes, rubbing her head with the palm of her hand. " _Space,_ that was confusing. Let's never do that again."

"Agreed." Luke tried to remember what had happed during the jump. It was been alien, and hadn't conformed to the natural laws that governed everything else. Yes, it had certainly been confusing, almost like a dream. Also...

Luke frowned. For some reason, he remembered words, almost too distorted to be recognized, drifting through to him, and sliding through his brain. He tried to remember them, even as they slipped away. _Hiding from. Lied. Little prince. Silly._

 _Father._

Leia had climbed to her feet. Now, she stood in the middle of the hallway, one ear cocked. Slowly, a grin spread along her face. "Hey, I don't hear any guns."

Confused, Luke got up too. "Which means...?"

"Which mean's we've escaped, you idiot." Leia's smile grew wider. "We're safe. I can go home now!" She laughed, and Luke found himself laughing along with her. He heard the crackle of the ship's intercom, as Han started to explain what had happened.

Only, Han didn't explain what happened.

In fact, it wasn't the smuggler's voice on the intercom. Instead, a cold, flat, metallic voice spoke out.

"This is the Imperial Empire. We hereby accuse you of traveling in Imperial airspace without permission. Please put down your weapons, and prepared to be boarded. Do not try to resist, or you will be destroyed."

With a click, the intercom shut off, but the speaker's words echoed around the silent corridor. Wide-eyes, Luke turned to look at Leia. She stared back at him, her face utterly encompassed by one emotion.

Fear.


	25. Captured

**A/N: I just wanted to thank you guys for your reviews, and follows, and favorites. It really makes my day, knowing people like my work.**

* * *

"So", Han said. "I'm guessing you all want an explanation."

From across the cell, Luke and Leia both nodded.

Han nodded. "Right. Well. I don't have one. I mean," he added hastily, as both his friend's faces turned stormy, "that I don't have a _good_ one."

"That's fine," Leia said shortly. Despite being the Emperor's prisoner, far from her home planet, and wearing cuffs for the first time in her life, she was inexplicably calm. "Any explanation will do."

For some reason, her elevated tone irked Han. Leaning back, he said, attempting nonchalance, "Skywalker, I'm sure you already know. Because the hyper-drive wasn't fully charged, it didn't function properly. Instead of transporting us to Shat, it took us to-."

"Excuse me?" That was Leia again, one eye-brow raised. "What's Shat?"

"A planet." Han wasn't in the mood to explain this. "But as I was saying, it took us to a random part of space. And, because fate is a _ sometimes, the Empire just happened to be there."

Luke frowned. "Yeah, that's the one thing I don't understand. It's not logical that the Empire was where we were. Yes, it's possible, but _really._ That's ridiculous."

"Just 'cause it's ridiculous, doesn't mean it isn't true, Genius." Han spoke the words with more venom then he meant to, and felt a pang of regret when he saw Luke's face fall. "Look," he said, trying to use a less annoyed tone, "we are in big trouble here. Especially her Highness over there. So I suggest we stop talking about _why_ this happened, and focus on getting away."

"Mm-hm." Leia sounded harsher then usual. "And how do we do that? This is the _Empire,_ remember? With Palpatine, and Stormtroopers, and Vader. Nobody gets away. Honestly, Han, I though you knew stuff."

Angry, Han glared at her, a stinging retort rising to his lips, but Leia was already apologizing. 'I'm sorry," she said, sounding suddenly tired. "It's just... I've worked for so long for this _not_ to happen. It's hard, you know, having so many years of precautions tossed down the drain."

Before any of the boys could reply to this, the door to their cell swung open. All heads swiveled immediately to the form of the Stormtrooper standing in the doorway. It glanced around at them, and beckoned with it's gun.

"Get up, prisoners," it said, it's voice flat and emotionless. "Lord Vader wants to see you."

* * *

If they had been allowed to talk, they would have, but the Trooper demanded silence. So all the three could do was walk along, with the weight of those words pressing down on them.

 _Lord Vader wants to see you._

Vader. Darth Vader. _Here!_ Luke could feel the lump growing in his throat. This wasn't a coincidence. This _couldn't_ be a coincidence. His eyes darted from side to side, looking for a way out, although he knew it was fruitless. Leia had been right. Nobody got away from the empire.

He glanced over at the Alderaan princess. Leia's face was impenetrable. She stared straight ahead, with her head high and her shoulders back. It was times like this that Luke could see her royal upbringing. Leia may have been a prisoner, but she didn't act like one. If it hadn't been for her words in the cell, Luke would never have known how she was really feeling.

Han, on the other hand, was different. His head was bowed, and he shuffled along like he'd been defeated. But Luke didn't think that was true. He could see a strange fire in Han's eyes, and hoped the other boy wouldn't do anything stupid.

After a few moments of walking, they reached a door. It was big and black, and foreboding _Of course,_ Luke though, _that would be the point, wouldn't it?_ The door showed the symbol of the Empire on it, clearly stating what - or who - was behind it. Even if the Trooper had said nothing, Luke would have guessed by now.

The Trooper pushed the door open, and gestured them in. And there was Darth Vader.

And there was Darth Vader.

There was Darth Vader.

He stood a few feet away from them, in front of huge windows that clearly showed the stars outside. His hands were casually at his side, but Luke knew that they could still kill him, without even moving. The room was quiet, except for Vader's breathing. Luke's heart was suddenly hammering in his throat.

"Come closer."

Luke didn't want to move, but the Trooper prodded his back with the end of it's gun, and he reluctantly stepped forward. He and the others walked about seven steps forward, before Vader held out a hand. Luke flinched, but Vader merely said, "Stop."

They stopped.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. Luke was aware of Vader's eyes traveling over them, taking them in. For one heart-stopping moment, he though the man's gaze rested on him, for just a second. But then Vader moved on.

"Where's Chewbacca?"

Han's voice rang out in the stillness, loud and harsh. Luke's head snapped around, as did Leia's. He wanted desperately to clap a hand over the smuggler's mouth. Instead, he watched, horror-struck, as Vader slowly turned his gaze back to Han.

"What was that, boy?"

"You heard me." Han's voice was tight, full of anger and fear. "Where's the Wookiee?"

Vader tilted his head at Han. Then he stepped forward, until his was right in front of Han. Luke saw the other boy's hands tremble, but the idiot held his ground. Vader observed the other with more interest then he had before. "What's your name, boy?"

Han's voice trembled slightly, as he replied, "H-Han Solo." Then after a moment. "What did you do with Chewbacca?"

Next to him, Luke saw Leia close her eyes. When they'd been taken aboard the Empire ship, they had been separated from the Wookiee. Han had protested loudly, and the Troopers had had to force him away at gun-point. Luke had thought the other had dropped it, but apparently he'd been mistaken.

And now, Han was going to get himself killed.

And yet, Vader did not lift his hand, did not choke Han to death without touching him. Instead, he glanced at Han one last time, then stepped back.

"Hey." Han's voice got slightly shriller. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Where the fu-"

Without looking at him, Vader raised a finger. Instantly, Han's voice was cut off. Shocked, the smuggler put a hand to his throat, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief. Vader ignored him entirely, giving his full attention to the others. He stared at Leia, whose eyes were now open. "Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan?"

Leia nodded, fighting to regain her expressionless attitude. Vader stepped up to her, and gripped her chin with two fingers, turning her face this way and that. Leia stiffened, but didn't pull away. Luke was frozen too, fear crawling up his throat. Part of him wanted to divert Vader's attention to himself, but he didn't dare.

 _Coward._

Vader was muttering to himself, as if the others weren't there. "Yes...Yes, the face is correct. But there isn't..." He broke off, and dropped Leia's chin, stepping back to view her in the whole. Then he swept his gaze over the whole group again.

His gaze settled on Luke.

Luke resisted the urge to step back as Vader approached him. The dark shape seemed to loom over him, and the mechanical breathing filling his ears. He swallowed. He must not be afraid. He must _not-._

"You." Vader's voice was flat. "What's your name?"

Luke tried to speak, but found his throat was dry. Gulping, he tried again. "L-Luke, sir. Luke Skywalker."

There was silence.

"Skywalker..." Vader said slowly.

Then, abruptly, he stepped back, turning his attention to the Trooper standing behind. "Take the Princess and the Solo boy back to their cell. I will speak with the Princess later."

It took Luke a moment to realize that Vader ha not mentioned him.

In a panic, he turned, as Leia and Han were dragged away from him. Leia looked scared for the first time since they'd entered the room. "W-wait...," she said. "W-what about Luke?" Han's mouth moved, but he, of course, was silent. Vader ignored them. Luke watched with a sinking feeling as the trooper pulled the others from the room, and shut the huge door with an ominous _thunk_.

He was alone with Darth Vader.


	26. Interrogation

"So," Darth Vader mused. "Luke Skywalker..."

Luke nodded, a trickle of sweat sliding down the back of his neck. His heart pounded, and he fought the urge to run. Vader looked at him, without saying a word. Then, he turned, and walked toward the window looking out into space.

"How old are you?"

"S-sixteen, sir." Luke stammered. When the other said nothing, he added, "It was j-just my birthday yesterday." _Sands alive,_ had it only been yesterday? It felt like so much more.

"Happy birthday."

This was so unexpected, Luke almost choked. "W-what?"

Instead of answering, Vader said, "Where do you live?"

"Um..." Luke briefly considered lying, but thought better of it. "Tatooine."

"And who takes care of you? Your parents?"

This time, Luke said nothing. Scared as he was, he didn't want to get his aunt and uncle in trouble. He had no idea what was going on, or why Vader wanted to talk to _him,_ of all creatures, but he had a feeling it wasn't for a good reason.

Vadet was quiet for a minute. Then, when he realized Luke wasn't going to answer, he raised one gloved hand. Luke felt something touch his mind, and he recoiled, bracing himself for whatever Vader had in store.

A cold sensation spread over his thoughts. He shuttered all over. Abruptly, an image of his aunt and uncle flew to the front of his mind. Quickly, he tried to shove it back down, but it was too late. The alien feeling left his brain, and Vader lowered his hand. 'Owen Lars," he said softly. "Is that your father."

Reeling from the invasion of his privacy, Luke stammered, "N-no sir. My f-father is d-dead"

"Dead?"

"Y-yes." Luke swallowed. Why was Vader asking about this? Why wasn't he talking about Leia, or something important? "He d-died when I was a baby, in a T-tusken attack, along w-with my mother."

Was it his imagination, or did he see Darth Vader stiffen at the mention of Tuskans?

Whatever the reason, it was with unexpected venom, that Vader spoke his next words: "They lied."

"E-excuse me?"

Suddenly, Vader turned. "What was your father's name?"

Confused, Luke replied, "A-anakin Skywalker."

"And your mother's?"

"I-I don't know, sir."

"You don't..." Vader trailed off. Then, abruptly, he said, "Padme. Her name was Padme."

Luke blinked. "W-what? H-ow would you-?"

"Because," Vader said simply. "I knew your father."

There was silence.

Finally Luke, forgetting to be afriad, choked out, " _What?"_

If Vader had been capable of smiling, Luke was sure he would be. "I can asure you, Luke, that Anakin Skywalker is not the person you think he is."

Luke didn't like the way the way Vader said his name, the way the man's mask distorted the syllables. Still shocked, he stuttered, "Well, then who was he?"

Instead of answering, Vader walked forward. Luke resisted the urdge to step back. The dark-armoured figure stopped in front of him. Luke noticed for thef first time that Vader was only a few inches taller then he was.

"Tell me," Vader said. "Have you heard of the Jeti?"

Even more confused now, Luke frowned. First Vader talked about Luke's family, and now he wanted to converse about children's fables. Nervously, he replied, "Yeah. My aunt told me all the stories when I was young."

"Ah...Stories." Was it Luke's imagination, or was there really a note of contempt in Vader's voice? 'So I suppose you've been told about the Force?"

"V-vaguely." That was the power the Jeti had, right? Space, this was ridiculous!

"Good. Now watch." Without turning away from Luke, Vader raised his hand, his fist clenched

An invisible force tugged at Luke's tunic, lifting him up off the floor.. Panicked, he yelled, trying in vain to get down. His toes just brushed the floor, tauntingly close. He stared at Vader, terrified.

"Stories, you say?"

Before Luke could even form the idea of a response, Vader opened his hand. Without any warning, Luke was shoved backwards, until his back hit the door. He grunted. Vader calmly walked toward him.

"The whole universe wonders how I can do this." Vader spread his fingers, and Luke was pressed into the wall. "Most think there is some device I use, or some alien power I have." There was no mistaking the scorn in Vader's voice, as he spoke those words. "But they are wrong. The Force is no story, Luke. It is as real as you and I."

Shaking with terror, Luke gasped, "Y-you're a Jeti.'

Then Vader laughed. Actually laughed. The sound grated against Luke's ears, twisted and ugly. "No. I am no Jeti. I am much stronger then a Jeti." After a second, Vader added, almost conversationally, "Would you like to know how I know your father?"

Luke didn't answer, and Vader seemed to consider. "No. Now is not the time. Let's just leave it at this." He raised his hand, and pulled Luke forward, until they were eye to eye, he said, "Your father was a Jeti."

Then he dropped his hand, and Luke crumpled to the ground.

The boy lay there, too stunned and scared to move, his mind reeling. Vader stood over him, silent and deadly. When he spoke again, the sound wormed it's way into Luke's brain. "Your father was very powerful. Very skilled in the Force. But he was too innocent, too trusting."

Luke rolled away, his hands over his ears, but the voice continued, growing louder and louder. 'He didn't see what he could become. He didn't see the truth of the Jeti, couldn't see through their lies. He didn't realize that the Jeti order was a myth, that the whole thing was rotten to the core. All that power, all that potential, was wasted."

The voice was boomingly loud now, almost unbearable. "But that power didn't disappear, Luke. No. It simply went somewher else? Where do you think it went?"

Eyes screwed shut, Luke grunted, "Get out of my head!"

"Make me."

The voice was gone now. In its place was a drill, roughly punching through Luke's thoughts, his memories, his entire being. Luke bristled, trying frantically to through up some kind of shield. The drill pressed on, sharp and painful. In desperation, he threw out one hand. "Get out of my head!'

The drill spun wildly, as Luke thew himself at it. Darth Vader grunted, and the drill disappeared, leaving Luke gasping and trembling on the ground. After a moment, Vader squatted down, and traced a finger across Luke's jaw.

"You see?", the man whispered. " You see where that power went? It's right here, Luke. It's right here inside you"

 _Beep._

Vader raised his head as a small device above the door made a noise. A second later, the door swung open, and a young officer walked in. Her eyes traveled over the scene in front of her, but she knew better then to say anything. "Lord Vader," she said, bowing. "We have an emergency."

Vader seemed unconcerned. "What is this emergency?"

The officer took a deep breath. "The princess and the smuggler have escaped, sir," she said, sounding nervous. "They took out the guards, and are believed to be armed. We think they are looking for the Wookie."

There was silence, as Vader thought about this. The officer waited nervously, pointedly avoiding eye-contact with Luke.

Finally Vader nodded. "Tell the troopers to search for them. They may kill the smuggler, but leave the princess alive." As the officer nodded and left, Vader turned back to Luke.

With a jerk, Luke was pulled to his feet. He stared at Vader warily, beyond fear. Vader observed him as well, before turning, and walking towards the door. Against his will, Luke found his feet pulling him along, following the dark being that called himself Darth Vader.


	27. Deal

**A/N: I wrote this probably to get out my anger at The Force Awakens. I know, I know, I wasn't being original. You probably don't understand this now, but you will! XD**

* * *

The ship was in carefully-controlled chaos.

Storm-troopers clomped down metallic gang-ways, listening to orders blared out of the loud-speakers. Their heads swiveled from side to side, looking for the two escaped prisoners that had raced off somewhere. Their footsteps echoed through the ship, loud and ominous. Their hands gripped their blasters, and they were alert for every unexplained sound.

 _There!_ A scuffling noise came from a few corridors away. The trooper's heads whipped around, and they increased their pace, heading toward the sound. As they rounded the corner, they pulled their blasters from their holster.

But the corridor was empty.

The troopers spread out, moving more stealthily then before. A few yanked open doors, but there was nobody behind them. Slowly, they regrouped, trying to find out where the escapees were.

They didn't look up.

If they had, their troubles would have been over. Because just a few feet away, hanging from the bottom of the gang-way above them, was Han Solo. Sweat dripped off his forehead, and his arms trembled as he fought to keep his grip on the metal rod that stretched across the width of the gang-way. Beneath him, Leia held herself up by bracing her feet against the walls. She gripped Han's waist for balance, which was a little distracting. Han swallowed, and glanced down at the princess. She gazed up at him, her eyes wide but focused. As he watched, she mouthed, _One, two three._

On three, she let go, drawing her knees up to her chest, and fell toward the troopers. Han's breath caught in his throat, but he had no reason to be worried. As Leia landed, she fell into a crouch, sweeping the trooper's legs out from under them. As they fell, Han let go with one hand, grabbed his blaster, and shot them. He fell to the ground, his arms trembling. Catching Leia's eye, he gave her a big grin, which she returned shakily.

They both froze at the sound of more footsteps. Quickly, they raced along the corridor, trying to find a place to take a breath. Han couldn't help noticing how the security cameras tracked their movement as they hurried by, but he couldn't give too much thought to that.

Leia did, though. As she ran, she pulled out the blaster she'd stolen from one of their guards during their escape. Aiming it as best she could while running, she shot at the cameras along the corridor. Suddenly, she grabbed Han's arm, and pulled him to the side. Han could hear her breath coming hard and ragged. His own chest ached with exhaustion, but he knew they couldn't stop now.

As soon as they'd made the decision to knock out their guards, and make a run for it, they'd known it was going to be hard. Han opened his mouth to tell Leia this, but she spoke first. "Han, where in space are we going?"

"Um." Han ran his hands through his thick, brown hair, trying to pull his thoughts together. "I-I think we need to find Luke!"

She considered this, then shook her head, a look of pain on her face. "We can't. Vader's with him."

"Oh, Right." Han shuttered, thinking about how easily Vader had silenced him, without even touching him. The effect had stopped as soon as the door had shut behind them, but it was still creeping him out.

 _Focus, Solo. Focus._ "Uh, we need to find Chewie. He can help us."

Leia nodded. "Okay. Where's Chewie?"

Han opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then, he opened it again, and roared, "Chewbacca!"

Leia jumped, and clapped a hand over Han's mouth. "What are you _doing?",_ she hissed furiously.

But Han grinned, as he heard a responding growl from far away. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that Wookies have really good hearing?"

"They do?"

"Well, this one does." Han pushed himself away from the wall, and started toward the sound. "Come on."

* * *

"Interesting. Very interesting."

Darth Vader stood at the window of the glass observation deck. Currently, the window was acting like a computer screen, showing footage from the security cameras around the ship. The dark figure slowly shifted through them, until he found one showing two running figures. Luke recognized them as Han and Leia. Before he could really focus on them, he saw Leia raise a blaster. Then the cameras were filled with static.

Luke smirked.

Vader seemed unaffected, although that could be because he had his back to Luke. He continued studying the scene. "Princess Leia... She's a very strong girl. That's good."

"Don't talk about her that way," Luke blurted. He was appalled by his own rudeness, but only slightly. He didn't feel like himself at the moment. He felt cold, hollow, and wary.

Vader ignored him. He watched the screen, his attention drawn to one at the bottom of the display. This one showed a small fight going on between a group of Storm-troopers and Luke's friends. Luke watched with astonishment as Chewbacca suddenly burst out of a door, and attacked the troopers. There was no sound, but Luke could imagine the Wookie roaring in anger.

"So," Vader murmured. "They've found their friend."

Luke didn't answer. He didn't trust his mouth.

Vader turned away from the screen, and faced Luke for the first time. Luke glared back at him, trying to disguise his fear. He wanted to run, but Vader was holding him in place with...well, with the _Force._

Luke still couldn't quite believe it. The Force was _real_. But he really had no choice, but to believe. After all, he'd felt it for himself.

And, according to Vader, he had it inside him.

He watched Vader with narrowed eyes, as the other approached him. "I don't think we got a chance to finish our discussion," Vader said calmly. "Let's put it this way, as it seems I have a crisis to attend to. You are a very powerful creature, Luke Skywalker. One of the most powerful I have seen in...a long while. At the moment, you are untrained, but I could fix that."

Luke half-laughed, disbelief edging his tone. "Are you asking me to... _join_ you?"

Vader tilted his head. "You could put it that way."

"You're _kidding_." This sounded like some kind of cliché holo-plot. "Why would I want to do that?"

Instead of answering, Darth Vader turned back to the screen. He spoke a command too soft to be heard, and the security feed vanished. For the first time, Luke could see out the window. It showed a dark empty rift in the floor, with walk-ways on either side. At the moment, there was nobody in sight, but Luke could hear gun-shots from far away, and getting closer.

Suddenly, a door on one of the walkways bust open, and Han, Leia, and Chewbacca tumbled through. Behind them, hot on their heels, was a group of Storm-troopers. Luke watched as Chewbacca spun around with a roar, and smashed the trooper's heads in with one hairy arm. Luke winced, and Vader made what could sort of be called a tisking noise. "Let's see. I don't think this will do." As Leia and Han paused to catch their breath, Vader raised a hand.

At the same time that the doors on the other side of the void opened, Han was lifted off the ground. He yelled in alarm, and started cursing. Leia and Chewbacca cried out as well, both lunging for him at the same time. Vader lifted his arm, and Han drifted out of their reach. Han, terrified, scrambled to grab something, as he flew across the chasm, and into the arms of Storm-troopers on the other side. Before he could start struggling, one of the troopers raised their blaster, and slammed it against Han's head. Han wobbled, and collapsed. The same trooper grabbed him by his shirt collar, and heaved him part-way over the railing, his head and shoulders hanging into the chasm.

Vader watched the proceedings, for a moment, then turned back toward Luke. "Well?"

Luke, horrified, stared at the limp body of his friend, momentarily forgetting what was happening. "W-what?" Then: "Are you _blackmailing_ me?"

Vader merely looked at him. Behind them, the trooper shoved Han a little bit farther over the edge. Luke could see the smuggler begin to move sluggishly, could see Leia screaming from the other side.

His stomach twisted. "Wait." The trooper shoved a little more, and he yelped. " _Wait!_ Let him go!"

Vader waited.

Luke couldn't believe what was happening. The whole thing felt surreal, like some dream. Or maybe a nightmare. Almost sub-consciously, he opened his mouth, and pushed out the word.

"Fine."

Vader was silent. Then he tilted his head toward the window. "Let him go."

There must have been some connection between the man and the trooper, because the Storm-trooper stepped away instantly, letting their hands fall to their side. Luke saw Han raise his head, slowly regaining consciousness. When he saw where he was, he cried out, and thrashed around.

Which unbalanced him. And sent him tumbling over the edge.

Luke stared. His mouth opened and closed. He saw Han fall, eyes wide and terrified. He saw Leia scream, and throw herself at the railing, in a futile attempt to reach him. He heard Chewbacca roar, shocked and horror-struck. His mind swum in sudden rebelling against what he was seeing, numbing all his feelings.

"Now", Vader said, walking towards him. "Let's g-"

With a rush, all Luke's emotion's came back. He opened his eyes, and roared, and the world exploded.


	28. Chewbacca

The world spun around Chewbacca.

At first, it hadn't been real. It only seemed like it. Chewbacca had lunged against the railing, eyes wide and hands shaking, reaching out fruitlessly toward the falling figure that was his best friend. Han's eyes were wide and disbelieving. Even as he fell, it seemed he would show no fear. Chewbacca threw back his head, and cried out, a wordless scream of defiance and grief. His shoulders shook, and darkness threatened to overtake him.

Then something had blown up.

The blast threw Chewie off his feet, and into the ground. He tried to get up, but ducked back down as something whistled over his head. Rolling over, he tried to spot Leia through the debris. He saw that most of it had fallen into the chasim, and only a few pieces had landed on the sides. It seemed the observation deck at the top of the room had blown up. Chewie hadn't given it much thought when he'd entered, mostly because he couldn't do anything about. But now he frowned, trying to think. Why had it exploded?

He spotted movement, and shifted around to see Leia pushing herself up. Her eyes were trained on the place where the observation deck had once been, and her mouth was open. At the same time, Chewbacca heard a strange metallic _swish_ noise. He also looked up, and his eyes went wide.

Darth Vader stood in the ruins, facing away from them. In one hand, he held a black, metal hilt. A long cylinder of red light came out of one end. Vader looked imposing enough, but that wasn't what had captivated Chewie.

Because a few feet away from Vader, eyes shut and fist clenched, was Luke Skywalker.

As Chewie watched, astounded, Luke slowly opened his eyes. He looked around, shocked. Vader said something too distorted for Chewie to make out, and Luke's head snapped toward him. His gaze hardened, and his hands began trembling.

So did the hair on Chewie's body.

Luke took a step forward, and Vader rushed at him suddenly, strange light-thing raised. Luke spun away, but Vader was quicker. With a move like lightning, he brought the light thing crashing down on Luke's arm. Luke cried out, and pivoted away, clutching the spot. Vader did a 180, and slashed at Luke again. This time, though, one of Luke's hands came up, as if to block the blow. Vader's light-thing froze, then went spiraling backward. Vader stumbled away, trying regain his balance. Instantly, Luke scrambled to the edge of the ruined observation deck, and leaped off, aiming toward the ledge that Han had fallen from. He hit the ground, and tripped, but didn't appear to have broken anything. He scrambled to his feet, and raced through a door at the end of the ledge, and disappeared into the ship. With a great billowing of black, Vader leaped after him. He did not trip, and soon had vanished after Luke.

Chewbacca stared at the spot where they had just been. His mind was utterly blank.

From off to his right, he heard Leia grunt, and saw her clutching her ankle. Pushing himself to his feet, he ran over to her. She glanced up as he knelt down next to her. Her face was controlled, but her eyes brimmed with tears. "My ankle," she whispered. "I can't stand."

"Oh." Chewbacca gently took her ankle, and turned it over. "Let me see." He knew the human couldn't understand him, but she got the gist. He tried to move it, and she hissed, her face pale.

"It's broken isn't it?"

"Yup." Chewie nodded. Pushing himself to his feet, he offered her his hand. "Here, I'll help you." She gripped it with her tiny fingers, and he pulled her easily to her feet. She tried to put an arm around his shoulders, but he was too tall. It took a few moments to figure out what to do. The solution was that Leia rode piggy-back on Chewie, using one hand to hang on, and another to shoot a gun. Chewie did the same, only he used his free hand to hold on to the princess's uninjured ankle.

It was a little awkward, but there was no time to figure out anything else. The corner of Chewie's mouth lifted, as he thought about what Han might say. He was almost certain his friend had a crush on Leia, and the idiot would-.

Pain blossomed in his chest, and he swallowed. Han wouldn't do anything. Han was gone.

He wanted collapse, to fall, to curl into a ball and scream. Or maybe hit something. Something that would shatter, make noise, bend under his fist. Sadness and fury raged inside him. His friend, his partner, his most trusted confident was lost.

Han Solo was dead.

But he couldn't collapse. He couldn't give up. He couldn't. Leia was still there, if that meant anything. Han would kill him, if Chewie let anything happen to Leia. He could feel the princess getting restless, wondering why the Wookie wasn't moving. He had to go, before any Stormtroopers came along.

 _Stormtroopers._ Chewie's lip curled.

He was going to kill them.


	29. Escape

**A/N: I am sooooooo sorry about the wait. I am suffering from procrastination and Writer's Block (well, kinda). But never fear! I will get through it. Somehow.**

* * *

Luke ran.

His feet clanged loudly on the hallway floor, but he couldn't do anything about that at the moment. He shoved past surprised-looking Storm-troopers (if Storm-troopers could look surprised), and thundered toward a door, any door. His breath was coming in gasps, and his chest was beginning to ache.

Oh, and let's not forget about the Energy.

Luke wasn't sure what else to call it. It seemed like an accurate name. It flowed through him, sharpening his senses and giving him strength. He tried to grab onto it, to make it do whatever it had down back there with Vader, but nothing was happening. He couldn't hold on.

Then he tripped.

He wasn't sure how it had happened. Maybe his body had been going too fast for his legs. But whatever the reason, Luke went sprawling. Terrified, he scrambled forward, and tried to turn around. He heard footsteps behind him, and watched, horrified, as a dark shape rounded the corner. Vader stopped when he saw Luke on the floor, and lowered his weapon. If he had a face, Luke was sure the man would be smiling.

"What's the matter?", Vader asked. "Did your feelings prove to much for you?" Luke scooted backward, climbing to his feet, but Vader raised a hand, and he was frozen. "No," Vader muttered. "I don't think so."

Desperately, Luke tried to summon up the power he'd felt before, but it ignored him. _Dang!_ He glared up into Vader's face, fear replaced by anger. "Let. Me. Go."

Vader observed him, seemingly oblivious. "I didn't think it would show up so soon..." he muttered. "You're stronger then I anticipated. I must teach you how to control that."

Luke almost choked. " _Teach_ me?"

"Of course. You did agree to join me, after all."

A wave of fresh grief surged through Luke, accompanied by rage. He lunged against his invisible bonds, letting his newfound anger flow through him. Vader stumbled, and Luke twisted, suddenly free. Recklessness possessed him, and he threw himself forward, his hands outstretched. The Energy inside him surged upward, and Vader flew down the hall, landing in an undignified heap a few feet away.

Luke stared at his hands. _Uh oh._

Vader rose to his feet, his calm demeanor gone. "Foolish upstart!" He raised an arm, and Luke stumbled sideways as an invisible blow struck his cheek. He kept his head down, backing up, cursing himself. Why in space had he done that? What was _wrong_ with him?

Crossing the distance in three quick strides, Vader grabbed Luke by his shirt collar, and threw him to the side. Luke's head smashed into the wall, and he lay there stunned and confused. It was the first time the dark lord had physically struck him. He could feel Vader's cold fingers, strong and metallic, grip his arm, and lift it up.

Weakly, he tried to summon up his Energy, but once again, it had deserted him. Vader gazed down at him, radiating contempt. "You will have to learn manners, Luke." He raised his weapon, the red blade humming. Luke eyed it nervously, remembering how it had burned before. Vader lifted the boy's arm a little higher. "And it seems I am the one who has to discipline you."

With a swish, he brought the weapon down.

Pain exploded across Luke's vision, and he screamed. The world spun, black spots appearing in his line of sight. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his arm, staring disbelievingly at the charred stump attached to it. Vomit rose in his through, and he cried out again. Vader was saying something but he didn't catch what.

Gunshots rang out, or maybe they were just Luke's imagination. Vader backed up, turning in a dizzying arch of black. Luke also tried to turn his head, blinking rapidly.

He couldn't believe what he saw. Maybe it wasn't real, and he was seeing things. Maybe he was close to death, though that didn't seem likely, no matter how much pain he was in. He tried to speak, but found no words. He simply stared at the figure holding a blaster, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

It was Han Solo.

No, scratch that. It was Han Solo currently choking to death. Vader had gotten over his shock much faster then Luke had, and one of his hands was up. Luke threw an arm out, and the Energy exploded wildly outward. Vader was shoved backward, and through a door at the end of the hall. Luke heard a lot of crashing.

Han gasped as his air flow came back. Recovering quickly, he raced over to Luke. "Hey Skywalker, are you oka- holy _ _ _, what happened to you hand?!"

Shocked, Luke stammered. "Y-you're alive!"

The smuggler raised an eye-brow at him. "No, of course I'm not. You're talking to a _ _ _ zombie. Love of Mike, Skywalker, what do you think?" Not waiting for a reply, he pulled Luke to his feet. "Come on. We got to go, before Vader gets back. How the _ _ did you do that, by the way?"

"I-I don't know." Luke stumbled after Han, trying to make his feet work. "Where are we going?"

"The ship, idiot." Han ducked through a door, shooting a pair of Storm-troopers. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what _do_ you know?"

"Um..." Luke searched his brains. "I know where the ship is."

"Good, 'cause I don't. Where is it?"

Instead of answering, Luke used his remaining hand to drag Han down a corridor. They rounded a few more turns, before they reached the ship's hanger. Luke expected to see legions of troopers there, guarding the ship.

He stopped, eyes wide. Beside him, Han let out a low chuckle.

The ground around the _Millennium Falcon_ was littered with downed troopers. Some had blaster shots in them. Most had had their heads caved in, or their chests smashed. Standing in the center were Leia and Chewbacca. Their heads were down, and they seemed to be deciding what to do next.

Astonished, Luke glanced at Han. Han was grinning like a maniac. "Dang it! That's awesome!" He started forward. "Let's give them a little present, shall we?" Then, raising his voice, he called, "Hey guys! Guess what I found!"

* * *

"Hey guys! Guess what I found!"

The voice resonated through Leia's head, freezing her mid-sentence. Almost in slow-motion, she turned around, her eyes landing on the impossibility in front of her. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord. He grinned impishly at her. "Miss me, your Worship?"

Leia punched him.

Han stumbled back, cursing. Leia grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him forward. "Don't you ever do that to me again, you idiot! I thought you were dead! How dare you do this to me?! How dare you, you little-!"

She broke off, breathing hard. Then she threw her arms around Han, and hugged him tightly. He started, surprised, then returned the hug. He was warm, and comforting, and so _alive._ Her voice slightly muffled by his shoulder, she muttered, "I hate you"

"I know."

Very suddenly, Leia was squished against Han, as _something_ wrapped it's hairy arms around them both, lifting their feet off the ground. Han yelled in protest, but the _something_ paid him no heed. It only roared happily.

Leia wriggled out of Chewbacca's tight embrace. She noticed Luke leaning against a wall, and walked toward him, relieved. "Luke! You're alright!"

Still trapped by his best friend, Han muttered. "Oh sure. Punch me but not him."

Luke looked up, and gave her a painful smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. Mostly."

That's when Leia saw his hand. Or what was left of it.

She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh _stars!_ What happened?" The stump of Luke's wrist was blackened and clean-cut. Leia couldn't begin to imagine what could have done something like that. She gingerly picked up Luke's forearm, and inspected it, forcing down nausea.

Luke winced. "It's a long story."

"And it can wait," Han added, pulling away from Chewbacca. "Right now, we gotta go."

"Right." Leia headed toward the _Falcon,_ using one arm to support Luke, who looked as if he might faint. The foursome stumbled into the belly of the ship, and Han and Chewbacca raced toward the cock-pit. Moments later, Han's voice sounded over the intercom, announcing that they were going to hyper-jump out of Vader's mother-ship. That way, they wouldn't have to "waste time" opening the hanger doors.

Leia wasn't sure if this was safe or not, but she was too tired to care. She helped Luke into the one bedroom on the ship, and got out the First Aid kit, the only medical supplies that Han had. A few minutes later, the ship lurched, and she grabbed onto the end of the bed.

When the room righted itself again, she got back to wrapping up Luke's wrist. A few seconds later, Han came back on. "Well," he said, sounding surprisingly optimistic, "We aren't where I was aiming for. But that's alright. I don't see any Empire ships, and the planet we're above is pretty cool. I don't mean that literally. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Tatooinie."

On the bed, Luke smiled drowsily. "Oh good. I'm home."


	30. Lars

Owen and Beru Lars were used to working. Which was a good thing. When their nephew had left for Alderaan, they had had to shoulder more work then they were used to. But they didn't mind. If it meant that the world would finally notice Luke's genius, then it was worth it.

So on the day the spaceship landed in their front yard, they were working in the field as usual, harvesting moisture. It was about 13:45, and about time for lunch. Owen wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve, and smiled at the form of his wife. Beru was bent over, clawing at the ground. She was sweaty and hunched over, and absolutely beautiful. As he watched, she looked up and grinned at him. "What are you staring for? Get back to work, you lazy person. You're as bad as Luke."

"Hey," he said, good-naturedly. "Don't compare me to that kid. He's the laziest person in the ga-."

A roar spilt the air. Owen and Beru both jumped, and turned around. Beru's mouth dropped open, and Owen stared up with wide eyes at the thing hovering above them.

Compared to some, it wasn't a very big ship. But we're talking about two people who've never left their planet, and who happen to live in an isolated part of the desert. The biggest spacecrafts they'd seen were the supply transports that brought stuff to the small settlement near their home. Those were about 6 ft, a faded, dusty brown half-cube that wobbled along, belching smelly, black smoke.

But this...

This was 15 ft. of smooth, black metal. This was a sleek, aerodynamic deep-space machine. This was advanced, pulsing, twin engines, built for speed. This was the best scout vessal money could buy. The overall effect to two simple moisture farmers was one of intense awe.

And, naturally, intense fear.

The spacecraft hovered a few feet off the ground. A hatch on the side slid seamlessly away, and a set of stairs descended silently. Owen backed up nervously, his eyes straying to the powerful rifle propped against the side of the house. He saw Beru moving stealthily towards it, her eyes on the spacecraft.

As the two of them watched, a human male descended down the steps. He was dressed all in black, and appeared to be unarmed. Owen saw his flinch as the heat of Tatooine hit him, but the man kept walking. He spotted Beru and Owen, and moved toward them with what was probably meant to be a smile. "Good afternoon. Do you know where I might find Owen Lars?"

Owen and Beru looked at each other. Owen swalled and stepped forward. " I am he. Who are you and what do you want?"

"Ah." The man held out a hand, which Owen took warily. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you and your _lovely_ wife some questions. You can step away from the gun," he added, nodding to Beru. "I have no intention of hurting you."

Cautiously, Beru walked forward, until she reached her husband's side. Her face still showed suspicion. "I haven't seen you around," she said. "How do you know us?"

Instead of answering, the man looked around. He frowned. "Don't you have a son, Mr. Lars? I don't see him."

Owen was instantly on guard. "You mean Luke? I'm afraid he's not here."

"Oh?" The man raised his eyebrows in what appeared to be surprise. Somehow, Owen got the feeling that it wasn't sincere. This man knew Luke was gone. Owen's frown deepened. He realized the man still hadn't told them who he was.

Seeming to sense Owen's discomfort, the man said, "I'm sorry to bother you. I was sent from St. Garf's Academy to question you about young Luke."

"Why?" Beru frowned at the man. "Has he been getting into trouble?'

The man gave a small, cold laugh. " Oh no. It's just that Luke is a very exceptional boy, and we'd like to learn more about him."

"You don't seem like someone from Alderaan."

That man's smile showed teeth. "I get that a lot, Mrs. Lars. May we begin questioning?'

Husband and wife glanced at each other. Owen was sure that Beru was thinking the same thing he was, reliving the same events he was. An evening long ago. A small baby boy. The news that his stepbrother was dead. A promise, sworn to the sunset.

 _This boy is very special. Protect him like you would your own child. Don't let the wrong people take him away._

Owen turned back to the man, his mind made up. " I'm sorry sir, but I'd rather not disclose my son's personal details. Everything you need to know are in the forms we filled out.'

The man's smile became hard. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Owen wasn't naturally unfriendlly, but this man rubbed him the wrong way. He was sure this was what the old man meant when he said "the wrong people"

"I see." The man was no longer smiling. He simply looked like he'd been expecting this. "Have it your way." He jerked his head at the open door in the spacecraft.

Five Storm-troopers descended, blasters raised.

Horrified, Owen stumbled back, his arms spread. His stared at the man, who merely looked at him. His black coat, flapped in a small breeze, revealing a small pin, attached to his chest.

It was the symbol of the Empire.

* * *

"Luke, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah." Luke stepped excidedly out onto the sand of his home world. The firmiliar heat hit him, wrapping around him like a warm blanket. He grinned into the bright blue sky, glad to be home.

He heard Han curse, and turned to see the smuggler descending the gangplank behind him. Han was hastily unbuttoning his jacket. "Holy _, it's hot. How do you survive?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh come on." He gestured to Leia, who stood beside him. "Her highness can feel it too, and she didn't complain."

Han muttered curses, as Leia grinned, flattered. "Jeez, kid. When did you get so sassy?" He started walking, Chewbacca trailing behind him. "Let's get going, before we all drop dead of heatstroke."

As they set off, Leia said, "Tell me again how you survived that fall."

Han sighed with apparent exasperation, although Luke and Leia both knew he enjoyed the attention. "I told you. There was a knish in the wall. I managed to grab it as I fell. It wretched my arm so badly too. Then, of course, that thing explodes, which Skywalker _still_ won't explain to us." He shot a pointed look at Luke, before continuing. "After that happened, I used my awesome strength and the grappling hook in my jacket to get myself up to the top again." He patted the barely-visible bulge in his jacket. "Once there, I followed the corridor until I found Luke. Nothing to it.'

" Mm hm." Luke wasn't really listening. He'd already heard the story about 5 timea. Instead, he scanned the horizon, searching for the first sign of his aunt and uncle's home.

He's stopped, confused. Beside him, Leia said, "Hey, is that smoke?" Frowning, Luke sped up, easily creating the top of the sand dune. What was going on?

He stopped as he caught sight of his home, and the bottom dropped out of his stomach.

The Lars settlement was on fire. The roof was blown off, and Uncle Owen's speeder was smashed to pieces. Luke vaguely heard Leia yelling after him, as he raced down the sand dune, his heart thundering wildly. He skidded to a stop in the front yard, sand spraying in every direction. Throwing his head back, he shouted, "Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!"

There was no answer.

From across the yard, Han called, "Hey, Luke!" Luke whirled to see the other boy bent over a twisted metal shape. As he cams closer, he realized that is was his uncle's blaster rifle, bent and half-melted by some stronger blast. Han glanced up at him, all humor gone from his face. "This is from a Grade A blaster," he said. "That's powerful. Do your aunt and uncle have any enemies?"

"No.' Luke looked around again, scanning the landscape again. No sign of Beru or Owen. His breath caught. _Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead._

"They're not dead."

All four of the friends spun around. Standing a few feet away was an old man, wearing the coarse clothing of a Tatooine resident. Luke recognized him instantly. It was the old hermit that his uncle had told Luke to stay away from. Ben Kenobi looked solemn. "I came when I saw the the smoke," he said. "I found this."

He tossed Luke a small metal object. As the boy caught it, it lit up, showing a holographic image of a man. He was dressed all in black. On his chest was a small pin. It showed the symbol of the Empire.

"Luke Skywalker," the man said formally. "I am a representative from the Empire. We have your family. As of the moment, they are unharmed. If you would like it to stay that way, I suggest turning yourself over immediately. We will be waiting."

The hologram shut off with a smart click. Luke released his hold on it, and it clattered to the ground. He barely noticed. One sentence ran through his head, until it was all he could hear.

 _Darth Vader has my family. Darth Vader has my family._

He glanced up at Ben, who looked grave. "What I feared has happened," the hermit said. "Please. You must come with me."

"Why?" Han stepped forward, hand reaching for his blaster. "Who in space are you?"

Ben gave a wary smile. "Not who think I am. And right now, I'm the only one who can help you." He turned. "Please. It's time for you to discover who you really are.*


	31. Obi-Wan

**A/N: Hey guys! Yes, I'm still alive! And I've finally figured out how to put this chapter together!**

* * *

The first thing Ben said when they sat in his house was: "What did Vader tell you?"

Sitting on the couch, sandwiched between his two friends, Luke frowned. Nervously, he stammered, "I-I don't know what you mean."

Ben smiled thinly. "I understand your caution, Luke. But please. I need to know."

"Um..." Luke searched his memory. His uncle had told him to stay away from "old man Kenobi", although Owen had never given his nephew a reason why. A little reluctantly, he muttered, "Well, he asked me about my dad. And he told me about the Jedi and the Force, and that kind of stuff."

Ben raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but a snort from Han cut him off. "Darth Vader wanted to talk to you about kid's tales?", the smuggler laughed. "He's even more crazy then I thought."

Luke fidgeted uncomfortably, staring at his hands. "Uh, well..."

He looked up to find Ben staring at him curiously. "Go on," the old man said. "Well what?"

Swallowing, Luke half-whispered, "I don't think it's a kid's tale..." He looked up at Han, who had a look of disbelief on his face. Suddenly annoyed, Luke said, in a stronger voice, "You weren't there. You didn't see what he did. He froze me in place. He knocked me around. H-he-" Luke's voice cracked, and he had to take a breath. He hadn't realized Vader had gotten to him so badly.

After a second, he whispered, "He went inside my mind."

He heard Ben make a strange kind of noise, like the man had expected this. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up into Leia's face. The princess smiled softly at him, and shakily, he smiled back.

Ben sighed. "Well, boy, you'd be right. The Force - and the Jedi - are most certainty real. As are the Sith, as I'm sure you've realized." He glanced around at all of them. "After all, you just survived your first encounter with one."

Leia's eyes widened, but Han still looked skeptical. "Do you just expect me to take your word for it?"

The old man surveyed him calmly. "Han Solo," he said slowly. "No, I wouldn't expect _you_ to take my word for it, although I'd hope the princess would." He smiled kindly at Leia. "It's an honor to meet you, your highness. I haven't seen you since you were a baby, so this _is_ a nice surprise."

Leia's mouth dropped open. "Wait, _what?"_

Instead of answering, Ben turned back to Han. "You'd like proof, then?"

Han frowned, trying to navigate through the twists of the conversation. "Well, yeah."

"Alright." Ben raised a hand.

On the other side of the small, crowded room, a box rose out of the shadows. It came rocketing toward them, narrowly missing Han's head, and stopped before Ben, settling down on the table. The three teens all stared at it. Ben gave them a small smile. "Convinced now?"

"Magic tricks," Han said, though he didn't sound confident. Ben raised an eye-brow at him, but turned away, focusing his attention back on Luke. The blond boy was staring at the box intently, like he was trying to see through the smooth, brown wood. It didn't look like something a hermit like Ben would want, much less be able to afford.

The old man saw Luke's curiosity. "Would you like to see?" Without waiting for a reply, he undid the latch on the box, swung open the top, and lifted a long metal cylinder from inside.

Luke's stump of a wrist throbbed as he recognized it, and he jumped away (as well as one could jump, while sitting on a couch.) "That! It's...it's a-."

"A light-saber," Ben said smoothly. He looked at Luke's ruined arm, and his eyes darkened slightly. "I see you already have experience with these things." He held it out to Luke. "Here, take it. It was your father's"

At first, Luke was so preoccupied with the weight and feel of the object, that he didn't register what Ben had said. Then, he nearly dropped the light-saber. " _What_ did you say?"

Ben smiled thinly. "I said that the light-saber was your father's."

Luke felt light-headed. Suddenly, he blurted out, "That's what Vader said!" When everyone stared at him, he added, a little sheepishly, "H-he said my dad was a Jedi."

For some reason, this seemed to dampen Ben's spirits. "Yes." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Vader...he would know." He gave a short, almost malicious chuckle. "Anakin and Vader were very close. Closer the I realized."

"You knew him?"

Ben nodded. "I trained him."

Luke was floored. " _You're_ a Jedi? Ben Kenobi is a _Jedi?_ "

"Yes." Ben nodded gravely. "And my name is Obi-Wan, actually. Yes, your Highness, before you ask, I am _that_ Obi-Wan. I had to change my name so my enemies wouldn't find me."

In the silence that followed, Han muttered, "Well someone's full of surprises."

Ben - Obi-Wan - smiled, a bit sadly. "More then you know, boy. More then you know. But we're getting off topic." He turned back to Luke. "Did Vader explain to you about your connection to all this?"

Numbly, Luke said, "H-he told me I had this _power_ inside me. At the time, I-I didn't know what he meant. Now though..."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "You've realized it, haven't you. Yes, I see. You've used the power before haven't you?"

Swallowing, Luke nodded. He remember the energy inside him. Slowly, he said, "It was the Force, wasn't it?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes." He gestured at the light-saber. "Turn it on." When Luke looked blank, he added, "Smack the end of it."

Hesitantly, Luke hit the butt of the weapon against his thigh. With a electronic swish, a ray of blue light shot out of the top. Luke scooted back in alarm, as the saber hummed dangerously. Obi-Wan smiled a little. "Funny. That was my reaction too, when I got my first one."

The saber vibrated slightly in Luke's hands. It was surprisingly comfortable, almost familiar, like he'd been holding it his whole life. He wanted to swing it around a bit, but he didn't want to hurt anyone by accident.

Obi-Wan did smile for real this time. "You can feel it, can't you? It's calling you."

Han rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Inanimate objects can call to people. That makes no sense." Leia wacked his arm, glaring at him to shut up.

Luke looked up at Obi-Wan with shining eyes. "Does this mean... _I'm_ a Jedi?"

"No, not yet." Obi-Wan stood up from his seat, and stretched. "But someone as strong as you should not be left untrained. So I will teach you - if you want me to."

Frowning, the Tatooine native considered. Finally, he said, "But what about my Aunt and Uncle?" He shuttered, remembering the voice of the Empire representative.

 _As of the moment, they are unharmed. If you'd like it to stay that way, I suggest you turn yourself over immediately._

"Hm." Obi-Wan frowned again. "Never fear, Luke. We'll rescue them, before anything too bad happens. Trust me, they'd rather get hurt then see you obey the Empire." He held out his hand to Luke. "Please. It will help you when you go to them."

Luke hesitated for a second. In a way, the offer reminded him of Vader's. But he really had no other options. He knew the futility of trying to fight the Empire, with no real strengths. At least if he became a Jedi, he would stand a better chance.

His mind made up, he deactivated his light-saber, placed it on the table, and took Obi-Wan's hand. Looking straight into the older man's eyes, he said, "Alright. I'll do it."


	32. Surprise

**Bleh...**

 **Anyways, I'm going to be gone for a few days. But I'll try to update sooner next time. The good part is, I know exactly what the next chapters gonna be about. :)**

* * *

And so they trained.

For two days, Luke and Obi-Wan stood outside, and did various exercises. At first, they were really boring. Well, it seemed that way, from Han's perspective. Half the time, all the two did was stare at each other, and talk in soft voices.

Then, the levitating happened.

First, it was just some rocks. Then it was a bunch of sand. Then it was Han himself. Not with permission, he might add.

Then some other stuff with the light-saber things. And more levitating. And more sitting and doing nothing. Han and Leia mostly watched. It bored Chewie too much, even when the interesting stuff happened. Although he was around to laugh at the sight of Han upside-down in the air, cursing his head off.

It was almost relaxing. Easy to forget about what was happening outside, easy to forget about how high the stakes were. So it fell to the Empire to give them a reminder.

This reminder came on a relatively relaxing day, with more boring stuff happening. Luke and Obi-Wan were standing outside, eyes closed and motionless. Han sat on the sand a few feet away, fiddling with his blaster. Leia was hovering in the doorway, drinking some kind of sweet red liquid. Chewie was inside, taking advantage of the rusty air-conditioner that Obi-Wan had bought in a second-hand junk market.

Then, it happened.

At first, Han didn't know something _had_ happened. It was very subtle. Luke suddenly uttered a soft moan, and slumped a little. Han, thinking it was part of the training, sat up a bit. Maybe something fun would happen.

Luke's back arched suddenly, and he screamed.

Han leaped to his feet in a panic. Leia uttered a small squeak, and raced forward, Chewbacca appearing in the doorway that she'd left vacant. Obi-Wan's eyes flew open, and he crossed the distance between him and Luke in a second. He placed his hands on the screaming boy's temples, apparently trying to calm him down.

It didn't work. Luke howled again, and sunk to his knees, his body shaking. Obi-Wan followed his downward decent, his hand's never leaving Luke's head. Han felt a whoosh of air, as Leia rushed past him. The princess dropped to the ground beside her friend, and put her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder, slowly rocking him back and forth.

Slowly Luke's cries died away. His arms clutched Leia, his whole body trembling. Han hurried forward, more scared then he cared to admit. Angry, he spun toward Obi-Wan. "What the _ did you do to him?"

Obi-Wan's face was creased with worry. "I don't know. I felt a disturbance, and then _that_ happened." He gestured helplessly at Luke, who was sobbing now. Leia rocked him back and forth gently, whispering words in his ear.

Not satisfied, Han marched up to Luke, and crouched down next to him. "Hey kid. What the hell was that?"

Luke looked up at him. Silent tears coursed down his cheeks. In a choked voice, he whispered, "M-my aunt and uncle. H-he's torturing them. I c-can feel it."

Obi-Wan made a noise in the back of his throat. "I'm sorry, Luke. I shouldn't have let you go that far. I should have known Vader would be waiting for you."

Leia glanced at him. She looked angry. "Vader? What'd that bastard do now?"

"He sent your friend a message." Obi-Wan gently took Luke's shoulder, and pulled him to his feet. "He's tired of waiting. I doubt he'd kill off his bargaining chips so easily, but death isn't the worst thing that can happen to someone. You must leave. I know it's soon, but we're out of time."

Han frowned. "What, _now_?"

Obi-Wan nodded gravely. "Yes. As soon as possible. I'm sorry I couldn't have prepared you better, Luke. I'll try to teach you as much as I can on the way there."

" _You're_ coming?"

"Of course." Obi-Wan led Luke toward the house, past a stunned-looking Chewie. Over his shoulder, he called. "You two better come with me. There's something I need to tell you."

* * *

Once they were seated, and Luke had gotten a cup of something hot, Obi-Wan glanced around at them. His eyes lingered on Han. "You. Can you keep a secret?"

Han shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

The old man pursed his lips, but didn't pursue the topic. Instead, he said, "You remember how I like to drop bombshells?"

Leia laughed softly. "No kidding."

"Alright." Obi-wan took a deep breath. He looked at Luke and Leia. "What did your folks tell you about your real parents?"

Both looked confused. Leia said she was adopted. Luke, still shaken, said that his parents had died in a Tuskan attack. Obi-Wan nodded, like he'd expected it.

"Well. That's good. However, I need you to forget all of that right now, because it's all a lie." The two teens stared at him in shock, and he smiled grimly. "It's time you knew the truth about your parentage. This is going to come hard, but there's no time to lighten it. Luke, Leia, your mother is dead, yes, but your father is very much alive."

Stunned, Leia whispered, "W-who is he?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Your father is Anakin Skywalker. Better known now as Darth Vader."

There was a very long pause.

Then Leia cursed for the first time, and buried her face in her hands. "No," she muttered, her voice muffled. "This is a joke."

"I'm sorry." Obi-Wan reached out, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's very much the truth. Anakin was a Jedi, a very powerful one. But he was corrupted by the Dark Side, and betrayed us all. Leia, your step-father was part of the Jedi Order. Not a Jedi, but a powerful friend. To make sure Vader didn't know you existed, he offered to hide you. We gave Luke to his step-uncle."

Another silence. Then Luke, who had been quiet up to this point, said slowly, "Hang on. Who's dad are you talking about?"

For the first time that day, a real smile broke Obi-Wan's lips. "Oh yes. That's the other thing." He leaned back, suddenly seeming casual. "Luke, meet your twin sister. Leia, meet your brother."

There was another very long pause.

It was broken by Han's loud laughter. The smuggler was rocking back and forth, struggling to take breaths. When Chewie and Obi-Wan looked at him, he gasped, "Y-your faces. This is _priceless!_ "

Luke and Leia hadn't turned their heads. They were staring at each-other. Slowly, Luke reached out a hand, and touched Leia's cheek. In a sort of strangled whisper, he said, "I-I see it. We do look...our bone structure..."

Leia stared back at him. Then her lips twitched. "Well, we did joke about it, remember?" Then: "Oh _stars._ Th-this is _impossible._ "

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "If I may interrupt this family reunion. We had to hide you, because we were afraid Vader would find you. You, Luke, are as powerful as your father was. You are too, Leia, but in a different way. If you had joined his side, we'd be in trouble. Well, more trouble then we're in now."

He stood up. "But that's enough. I've told you what you need to know. Now, it's time you'll be leaving. I'll pack your bags." He glanced at Han. "Young man, I'd suggest you get your ship ready. We have a rescue mission to do."

And he left the room, leaving the two reunited siblings staring at each-other, trying to wrap their minds around this very new perspective.


	33. Father

**This isn't edited. I am so sorry for any typos and stuff like that.**

* * *

It was the sound of the engines that woke him.

It vibrated through the floor, and up into his head, shaking him from his dreams. Luke's eyes fluttered open, and he lay for a while, his thoughts swimming.

So much had changed in the past 24 hours. No, scratch that, so much had changed since he'd come to Alderaan. How long ago was that, anyways? Space, it felt like ages ago.

Now he was running around the galaxy with an outlaw, a princess who also turned out to be his long-lost sister, and an old man claiming to be a Jedi master, trying to stop Darth Vader, who - oh yeah, just thought I should mention this - was his father. His _father._

Luke closed his eyes. His conversations with Vader flashed through his head, along with the screams of his aunt and uncle. He put his hand to his temple, but it only got worse. The voices escalated, bringing back the memories he'd tried to suppress. His stump-hand throbbed with the imprint of old pain.

With a jolt, he opened his eyes, as realization hit him. _This isn't a memory._

Furious, he tried to lash out, with what little Obi-Wan had taught him. _Get the hell out of my head, Vader!_

The only reply was silence.

Luke rolled over, no longer tired. His eyes roamed over the sleeping forms of his companions. Han was sleeping in his bed. The bed was minus one blanket, because Leia had stolen it. She was lying on the floor, wrapped up in it. Obi-Wan and Chewie were sleeping in the cock-pit - Chewie usually did that anyways, and Obi-Wan hadn't wanted to take up that much room. Luke had had the liberty of sleeping on the floor, next to Leia. Han had done him the favor of giving him a pillow, and turning the heat up higher then usual.

Luke scooted closer to Leia, and gazed at her. A strange warmth bubbled up in his chest. _My sister!_ It made sense, in a way. They were similar, although the princess was more outgoing then him. Luke brushed a curl of brown hair out of her eyes. She gave a little half-sneeze, and he couldn't help smiling.

 _My sister. My beautiful sister. I won't let anything hurt you, I promise._

 ** _But you will._**

With a start, Luke fell back, as images exploded across his vision. Leia, hurt and bleeding on the floor. Calling out to him. But he couldn't move. He stood there, watching her, as she struggled to breath. She was dying, and he couldn't do anything. It was his fault, all his fau-

"Stop it!" Luke didn't mean to speak the words out loud. He glanced around nervously, but nobody stirred. A little quieter, he muttered, "Stop it. I mean it."

There was no answer. Of course there wasn't. There never was.

Ever since he'd had the vision about his aunt and uncle, these images had been tormenting him. He hadn't told anyone, for fear of seeming helpless. He should be able to manage this, even if it didn't make any sense. Obi-Wan had told him that Jedi couldn't connect telepathically. They could manipulate your mind, sure, but only if they were close to you. The only reason Vader had been able to get into him mind in the first place, was because Luke had been meditating. It had left his mind open.

He supposed that Vader had implanted those images along with the one with his aunt and uncle. He knew what they were for too. Just look at what they showed.

Han, jumping in front of a gun for him. Leia, sacrificing herself to save him. Chewie, getting into a battle that they both knew the Wookiee would loose. For him. That and so many others, all similar in one way - one of his friends ended up dying for him. Dying at the hands of Vader's forces, in Vader's warship. Put together, the message was clear.

 _I know you're coming for your family. It's pointless. You'll only end up killing the ones you love._

Luke took a deep breath, trying to stabilize his thoughts. Deep down, he knew it was just a ruse. Vader couldn't tell the future. He was just trying to scare Luke. There was nothing to be worried about.

Or was there?

Once again, the nagging question surfaced in Luke's mind. What if it wasn't? Hadn't he read somewhere that Jedi could see into the future or something? And if Vader knew they were coming, couldn't he plan some kind of horrible trap?

At the start, Luke had tried to push the question away, but it kept coming back, getting stronger and stronger. Now, lying in the dark of Han's cabin, he was finding it very hard to ignore. The images swirled about him, seeming more real then ever before.

 _You'll only end up killing the ones you love._

Luke knew all too well what Vader wanted. He'd made that perfectly clear in their last meeting. He knew what would happen if he agreed, too. He was playing right into Vader's hands, and irked him. _Just ignore it, Luke. Just ignore it._

 _You'll end up killing the ones you love._

Could he really take that chance? Maybe he could save them. No, don't think about it. It's just a trick.

 _Killing the ones you love._

But if I did it, they'd be safe. They'd be fine. I could stop them from going after me, anyways. But it's just a...

 _Killing._

 _Killing._

 _Killing the ones you l-_

"Fine!"

The word echoed through the cabin, and Luke flinched. He glanced around, but nobody stirred. Slowly he got to his feet, his body screaming at him to stop. But he ignored it.

He let his fingers brush over Leia's forehead for a second, a last-minute apology, of sorts. Luke wished Obi-Wan had told them sooner about their relationship. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so hurt inside at what he had to do.

Quietly, he gathered up his clothes. _I'm doing this for their own good. I'm doing this for their own good._ It wasn't that hard to stuff his belongings into a pack. He didn't own much. He was about to head to the door, when he noticed Han on the bed.

The smuggler was dead-asleep. His chest rose and fell softly. He looked so peaceful, and much younger then he normally appeared. It was a painful reminder that Han was still just a kid, like Luke and Leia were. It made Luke wonder what had made the other boy turn to a life of crime, at such a young age. _I guess I'll never get to know._

Without quite knowing what he was doing, Luke walked softly over to the bedside, letting his pack drop quietly to the ground. He leaned over Han's face, his heart suddenly racing. With his remaining hand, he tilted Han's face upward just a little bit. Then he leaned down, and placed a soft kiss on the other's forehead. Han stirred a little, but didn't wake up.

Luke backed away slowly, picking up his pack. He cast one last look around the room, his eyes lingering on Han. Then he turned and left.

He hurried down the hallway, and pushed open the door to the cock-pit, meaning to program the ship to take him away. But a glance out the front window stopped him dead.

Hovering outside, like a big black monster, was Vader's warship. It dwarfed the _Millennium Falcon_ with both height and length. Luke could clearly see the symbol of the Empire emblazoned on its side. A hatch on the side opened, slowly engulfing the smaller ship.

Luke's face twisted into a humorless smile. Of course. Vader had known he would come.

The _Falcon_ landed on the floor of the hanger in Vader's ship. The door slid open to reveal a tall, blond-haired teenager in white robes. He glanced nervously at the stormtroopers waiting for him, but descended the gang-plank anyways. The troopers escorted him out of the hanger. Once outside, he turned to watch the small, out-dated ship be deposited back into space. The hanger doors swung shut again, and Luke felt a small pang inside his hard. He'd worked so hard on that ship. He'd miss it.

Footsteps sounded on the corridor. Luke knew who it was without turning around. His shoulders stiffened, but he no longer feared the person behind him.

In a flat voice, he said, "Hello, father."


	34. Vision

"No. No no no no no _no!"_

Han paced back and forth through the room, looking furious. Leia sat on the bed, her face pale, listening to him rant.

"I can't believe this!" Han through his hands in the air, trying to ignore the growing dread inside him. "He didn't just leave. He didn't! He couldn't have."

Leia spoke for the first time since Han had started. "Han stop. There's obviously something we don't get here."

Han rolled his eyes. "Well, no _, Princess. People don't just vaporize. Without even leaving a note, or something!"

The princess stared at him. "Leave a note? Han, could you please just make sense for once? This is serious."

The smuggler continued pacing. "I just don't get it. Normally, I'd say he was a coward, and he ran away, but there's no way he could have g-."

"Oy!" Leia jumped to her feet, suddenly angry. "How could you say that? Luke isn't the bravest person ever, but he wouldn't run! Stars, Han, have a little faith in the guy."

"Well then, _you_ tell me what happened!", Han's voice rose. "I don't see any other explanation! I know he's your long-lost brother and all, but be reason- what's wrong?"

Because Leia had suddenly gone white. She closed her eyes for a second, and stumbled back. Her knees hit the bed, and she dropped onto it, clutching her head. Han hurried forward, his anger gone. "Leia. Leia, talk to me. What's going on?"

"I...I don't..." Leia's voice was slightly muffled. Then, a little softer, she muttered. "No...No, that's not it. It can't be."

"What?" Han could feel his voice climbing into hysteria. "_, Leia, what _is_ it?"

Leia frowned. "I just..." She let out a groan of exasperation, and flopped down on the bed. "Ugh! I can't explain it. It's probably nothing."

Han stared at her. Then he rushed to the doorway, and roared, "Obi-Wan! Get your all-powerfull butt over here!"

It took a few moments, but the Jedi master appeared, looking slightly annoyed. "What is it? Have you found something?"

"No." Han gestured toward the princess. "It's Leia. Something's wrong with her."

"Oh _honestly."_ Leia sat up, looking ticked off. "Han, we have bigger problems right now."

Both males ignored her. Obi-wan walked toward her, frowning. Finally, he said, "You saw something."

Leia's eyes widened a little. "How did you-?"

Obi-wan held up a hand. "Just tell us what you saw."

Leia was silent for a bit. Then she said softly, "I saw Luke. He was walking around, getting his stuff. There...there was something weird about him. Like, this aura or something. I don't know."

Han was confused, but Obi-wan's frown deepened. "I was afraid of this."

"What?" Leia sounded wary. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Obi-wan sighed. He suddenly sounded very tired. "Luke is with his father. Somehow, Vader managed to to get inside his head. Stars, I should have seen this!"

"With _Vader?"_ Han's eyes widened. "But...but.._, we need to rescue him." _What the hell, Luke?_

The Jedi Master nodded. "I'll get the Wookie." He disappeared into the hallway.

Leia started after him. "Hang on! How did I see that?" She paused at the door, gesturing impatiently at Han. "C'mon, you! We gotta go!"

"Me?" Han walked over. "Go where?"

Leia paused, frowning. After a moment, she said, a bit sheepishly, "Chase after Obi-wan, I guess."

"And you need me there why?"

For the first time since he could remember, the princess actually looked really embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I-I guess I just thought... I mean we've done so much stuff together...you don't have to..."

But a grin was already spreading across Han's face. "Awe. You'd miss my presence with just a walk down the hall? That's so sweet, your Highness."

Leia glared at him, her face still red. "You really need to shrink your ego."

"I know." Han stepped into the hall, throwing a hand lopsidedly around Leia's shoulder. "C'mon, princess. He's getting away."

Leia rolled her eyes, but stepped out. "Ugh..." She hurried after Obi-wan, and Han followed, trying to ignore the warmth in the bottom of his stomach.

 _Leia liked being around him._


	35. Brothers

"Why?"

The word echoed in Luke's head, as he stared at his uncle. The man stared back. He was crouched on the ground, chains on his wrists and ankles, pain hidden in his wrinkled face. Yet he still managed to look at his nephew head on.

Luke closed his eyes, trying to block out the image of his guardian. "I had no choice," he whispered. "I had to save my friends."

Owen Lars had been through a lot those last few days. Yet, he still managed a contemptuous snort. "Come on, boy. I thought I raised you better then this. You've just played right into Vader's hands."

"I know." And he did know. Had known since he'd chosen to leave the _Falco_ n. "But I had to."

"Taun-taun crap." Owen nudged his wife, who was lying beside him. "Beru, tell our idiot of a nephew that he had plenty of choices besides this one."

Beru blearily opened her eyes. When she saw Luke, she smiled.  
"Hello dear." Shifting toward Owen, she said sharply, "Leave the boy alone, love. Vader was messing with his head, when he made that decision."

Owen harrumphed. "Still. Kenobi promised to protect him, if anything happened to us. And I don't know about you, but I don't call th-"

"Wait!" Luke raised a hand. "You know Obi-Wan?"

Beru nodded, then winced. "Of course. He was the one that gave you to us, when you were just a baby." She smiled a bit, remembering. "Believe me, honey, I wasn't expecting a baby from that old hermit."

"It _was_ quite a day," Owen agreed, his tone softening. "You were such a cute little twerp. Your aunt and I fell in love with you from the instant we met you."

Frowning, Beru added, "It wasn't all sweet though. Imagine it, hearing that the Jedi were dead just hours before, and then getting a visit from one of them. With a baby, no less. For us. We made so many promises that day, didn't we honey. Oh yes, so many..."

She trailed off, and Luke was shocked to realize that she was crying. He stepped forward. "W-what's wrong?"

Beru swallowed. She swiped at the tears on her cheeks, her chains clattering.. "I-it's just... We promised we'd take care of you. W-we said we'd keep you away from the Empire. And n-now look. You're right in Vader's clutches, all because we l-let ourselves get kidnapped. Luke, I-I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, sorry."

She hiccupped, and buried her head in her husband's shoulder, body shaking with suppressed sobs.

Luke stood, rooted to the spot. All his life, his aunt had been tough, strong, independent. She had only cried occasionally, and never very emotionally. Seeing her break down like this shook Luke more then he'd ever admit.

Unable to stand it, he hurried forward, and dropped to his knees by his aunt and uncle. "No, don't. Please." He put his arms around them, suddenly feeling desperate. "It's not your fault! What could you have done? It's mine. I-I should never have come."

He closed his eyes again, and inhaled deeply. His head rested in the crook of his uncle's neck, like he used to do when he was little. He felt Owen's chin rest on his head, in a comforting way. "It's alright," the man whispered. Luke wasn't sure if he was talking to him or his aunt. " It'll be alright. Don't worry."

A sound from the doorway startled them. Luke turned to see Darth Vader standing in the doorway. The dark robed sith stood quietly, beckoning to Luke. Visiting time was over.

Reluctantly, Luke pulled himself away and stood. Vader walked forward, and placed a cold hand on his shoulder. "Come," the man said softly. "It's time to go."

Beru sat up at the sound of his voice. Her face darkened, and she looked more like her old self. "You," she growled fury dripping from her words. "Finally decided to show your face, huh?"

Vader ignored her. Turning Luke around, he steered his son to the door. "Hurry," he said. "I have a surprise."

The had only gotten a few feet, when Owen said quietly, "Hello, brother. Long time, no see."

Luke froze, feeling Vader's hand tighten on his shoulder. Slowly, the sith lord turned around. In a soft voice, he said, "What did you say?"

Owen didn't answer immediately. He looked Vader up and down, and his eyebrows rose. "Well well. I only met you once before, but you certainly looked different. You remember that day, don't you, Anakin?"

Vader stiffened at the sound of his old name. "Be quiet."

Owen ignored him. "Of course, I'd heard a lot about you. Not just from the news, either. I'd heard about how talented you were. How brave, and kind. I have to admit, little brother, I kind of idolized you. Even after I'd heard what happened, I still couldn't believe it." He paused, then added, "I still can't believe it, really."

Vader didn't answer.

"I remember why you visited us, all those years ago." Owen said softly. "I remember your face when you heard the news. I...I remember what you looked like, when you came back from chasing down the raiders. It's something I've never been able to forget."

Vader stood absolutely still.

"People have wondered why you changed, Ani," Owen murmured. "But I think I know why. It's because of that day. It's because of... because of your mother."

Voice harsh, Vader choked out, "Be quiet."

Owen didn't listen. "I knew her too, brother. She took care of me for most of my childhood. She spoke so highly about you, Anakin. What would she think if she saw you like this? Would she be proud of you? Would she still think you were s-"

"I said be quiet!"

Vader shot out his hand. Owen's eyes bulged, and he bent over, clutching his throat. Beru cried out, and crouched down beside him. Luke lurched forward, horror filling him. He had no idea what that last exchange had been about, but he knew his uncle was in danger. "No, please!"

Vader turned his head to look at him. Father and son faced each other, in some kind of stare-down.

Suddenly, Vader dropped his hand. Owen gasped, as air rushed back into his lungs. Vader turned violently on one heel, dragging Luke out the door with him.

Luke stumbled after him trying not to fall. Before the door slid shut, he turned, trying to get one last look at the couple that had raised him.

He caught only a glimpse, before the door closed, and all sound was cut off.


End file.
